"Understanding Buddhism covers the history of Buddhism and explores how the religion has evolved and expanded. Readers learn about monks and nuns, the branches of Buddhism, and important rituals. This title also discusses misunderstandings about Buddhism and the challenges some women have faced in the religion"--Amazon.com.

An introduction to the teachings, concepts, schools, and practices of Buddhism explains the creation of the Buddhist universe, life of the Buddha, and enlightenment as a path to freedom from suffering.

"Buddhist Statecraft in East Asia explores the long relationship between Buddhism and the state in premodern times and seeks to counter the modern, secularist notion that Buddhism, as a religion, is inherently apolitical. By revealing the methods by which members of Buddhist communities across premodern East Asia related to imperial rule, this volume offers case studies of how Buddhists, their texts, material culture, ideas, and institutions legitimated...

As an incredibly diverse religious system, Buddhism is constantly changing. The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Buddhism offers a comprehensive collection of work by leading scholars in the field that tracks these changes up to the present day. Taken together, the book provides a blueprint to understanding Buddhism's past and uses it to explore the ways in which Buddhism has transformed in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The volume contains...

"One of the world's most popular religions, Buddhism is also one of the most misunderstood. This reference overviews misconceptions related to Buddhism and reveals the truths behind the myths"--