Description
Description
The essays in this collection have been written over a period of nearly fifty years. During the first forty years of this I was a house-holder. It is only at the age of sixty-nine that I took to the life of a Buddhist monk. From the age of twenty-five I have been a teacher of Buddhism and the Pāli language at Universities, both here and abroad, and have handled these disciplines all my life for more than forty years.
These five essays cover four major areas. Two deal with aesthetic enjoyment and concepts of beauty as envisioned in Buddhism. As one would always discover in my writings, one may see in these two essays some elements of provocative thinking. I am fully conscious of this as I write. But I have also to be sensitive to what I read in the original texts and to come to grips with what they endeavor to communicate. I would rise up even to agree to disagree.
Next we take up the very challenging question of the position of women in Buddhism. It is known to be a subject of endless debate. Let us talk about it with a desirable academic detachment and an honest awareness of the purpose of our controversies.
Very few people know about Buddhism's concern for social growth and development. We devote one essay for the analytical and evaluative study of human resources. Why should it lie idle or be recklessly used?
Finally, we examine the reality of death in life and use it as a source of inspiration and guidance.
From the Author's Preface
Contents:
1. Aesthetic Enjoyment within the Framework of Buddhist Thinking
2. Buddhism and Beauty
3. Woman within the Religious frame of Buddhism
4. The Human resource as viewed from the Buddhist Religio-cultural Angle
5. Death - Let it be thy Guide Through Life
Between 1958 and 2002, a total of 334 individual physical Wheel Publication booklets were published by the Buddhist Publication Society (BPS). Those 334 booklets included 468 essays, tracts, and monographs; many were published as double or triple volumes.
These classic Wheel booklets are not being reprinted; many are no longer available as single issues. We have the last print run in stock—the last existing physical booklets! If this specific Wheel No. is out of stock, please note that it won’t be restocked.
See also: Collected Wheel Publications series (BPE)—Pariyatti Edition (free PDF available per volume) Free PDF copies of individual booklets are available from the BPS website; some are listed, while others can be found via the Google search feature.
VIPASSANA PRODUCTS
Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. More information about Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka is available at www.dhamma.org.
The tag Vipassana identifies products that are directly related to this tradition and differentiates them from other Theravada resources available on our site. While the main emphasis in Vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka is on actual practice, this product may provide inspiration and guidance to a Vipassana meditator.
We also carry titles from the Theravada tradition, as we feel that by exploring the wider world of the Theravada texts, which include the Buddha’s discourses, commentaries, and scholarly articles and treatises, meditators have an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Dhamma and thereby enrich their meditation practice. This kind of intellectual exploration also helps a meditator to gain an understanding of the evolution and historical context of their meditation tradition. This understanding in turn deepens their practice and understanding of the Dhamma.
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Q: Why have you decided to partner with Amazon for the printing and distribution of your books?
A: Pariyatti is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to help disseminate the words of the Buddha.
The generosity of our customers and donors (donations make up ~25% of our revenue) is what has allowed Pariyatti to cover our annual shortfall, and permitted us to continue operations. We strive to continue to find ways to make best use of this hard-earned money, generously donated by so many to Pariyatti. One of these is to explore ways to optimize our operations.
Our goal is to disseminate Dhamma content. The choice of working with a given distribution partner is solely based on whether they can provide you, our customer (no matter where you live) with the item(s) you ordered in an accurate, timely, and reliable manner.
With the advent of eBooks and the internet, the entire book publishing and distribution industry has faced significant challenges. With these industry changes, and Pariyatti's additional challenges in serving a niche market with low sales volumes, it has been financially difficult to staff our own warehouse and operations. Year after year, the costs of maintaining our own warehouse has far exceeded the income.
By focusing on what we do best (such as make Dhamma content available at low or no cost), and partnering with others who have already built robust printing, packing, and delivery systems, we free up resources that can be redirected towards expanding Pariyatti's offerings for you.
We are always on the lookout for creative ways to make Dhamma content as widely and freely available as possible. If you have any ideas along these lines, please feel free to be in touch via director@pariyatti.org .