The Buddhas of Bamiyan - A collection of high-quality photos
of the Buddhas of Bamiyan taken prior totheir destruction by
the Taliban.
Buddha's World: History of Buddha and Buddhism - Historical
material on Buddhism.
Buddhism on the Silk Road - The civilizations which flourished
along the Silk Road in the first millennium CE were open to
cultural and religious influences from both East and West. Many
religions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam,
Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism, gained new followers. But it
was Buddhism, travelling the trade routes of the Silk Road,
which became the common factor uniting the different peoples
of the Silk Road.
Buddhist and Islam - The historical interaction between
the Buddhist and Islamic cultures before the Mongol Empire.
Buddhist Councils - History of the Buddhist councils, which
have been periodically convened since the Buddha's death, primarily
for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy of the record of the
Buddha's teachings.
The Buddhist History of Muktinath /Chumig Gyatsa - Information
about the Hindu and Buddhist ancient pilgrimage site, Muktinath,
on the Annapurna trekking route in Nepal, includes pictures,
news and related links.
History of Buddhism - Overview of the history of Buddhism
and the formation of the principal schools of Buddhism.
India and the West - A summary of the history of Indian
Buddhism and contacts with the West.
The Questions of King Milinda - Story of the conversion
to Buddhism of Milinda, king of Sagala, in the land of the Bactrian
Greeks.
Thumbnails Of Threatened Afghan Greco-Buddhist Art - Thumbnails
can be clicked on for enlarged views. This is on the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
web site.
Timeline of Buddhist History
Nichiren
Analytical Psychology and Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin
- Erika Gsell provides a brief scholarly comparison of some
aspects of the theoretical and practical approaches of Nichiren
Buddhism with aspects of Jungian analytical psychology.
BBC Religion & Ethics - Nichiren Buddhism - Provides
overview of a Japanese Buddhist movement in the Mahayana tradition,
also popular in the West; includes information on the Soka Gakkai,
Nichiren Shoshu, and Nichiren Shu schools, highlighting background
and doctrinal commonalities.
Buddhist Information of North America: Lotus Sutra Study Center
- Offers biographies of various Lotus Sutra commentators, along
with select academic lectures.
Ethics and the Lotus Suutra - Paper by Peggy Morgan which
discusses ethical imperatives associated with historical and
religious claims primarily within the Rissho Kosekai Buddhist
experience.
The Lotus Sutra - Also known as the "White Lotus of the
True Dharma" or "Saddharma-Pundarika Sutta". Translated by Burton
Watson.
The Lotus Sutra - Translated By H. Kern (1884).
New Religious Movements: Nichiren Shoshu - Student paper
profiling Nichiren Shoshu's history, beliefs, issues and controversies
with links, abstracts, and bibliography.
New Religious Movements: Soka Gakkai - Student paper (University
of Virginia, 1999) profiling Soka Gakkai's history, beliefs,
issues and controversies. Includes links, abstracts and a print
bibliography.
Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra - Syllabus and bibliography
of works on Nichiren's historical background, career, philosophy
and tradition by Jacqueline Stone.
Nichiren Shonin's View of Humanity - Endo Asai considers
Nichiren's view of the human state in terms of both thought
and actual circumstances. (PDF file, Adobe Acrobat reader software
required).
Nichiren, the Buddhist Prophet of the Truth - Collection
of quotes and summaries, with links to full text writings based
on translations found in the Yampolsky edition of "Letters of
Nichiren" (translated by Burton Watson et al.).
PHILTAR Encyclopedia Entry: Nichiren Buddhism - St Martin's
College Department of Religion and Ethicssynopsis of Nichiren
Buddhism.
Presentation on the Lotus Sutra - Lectures on the Lotus
Sutra by Rev. Shokai Kanai of the Nichiren Shu.
Review of "A Time to Chant: The Soka Gakkai Buddhists in Britain"
- A review by Brian Brocking in the online Journal of Buddhist
Ethics of "A Time to Chant: The Soka Gakkai Buddhists in Britain"
authored by Bryan Wilson and Karel Dobbelaere.
Rissho University - Department of Nichiren Buddhism and
a research institute in Nichiren Buddhist Studies established
to educate student priests of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism.
Wikipedia: Lotus Sutra - Encyclopedia article describing
the origins and teachings of the Lotus Sutra.
Wikipedia: Nichiren Buddhism - Encyclopedia entry detailing
history of sects of Nichiren Buddhism with overview of commonalities.
Rebuking the Enemies of the Lotus - Article by Jacqueline
Stone featured in a Special issue of the Japanese Journal of
Religious Studies, which offers a brief historical overview
outlining the origins of "Lotus exclusivism" in Nichiren's thought
and how it affected the development of this branch of Buddhism.
[PDF] (June 1, 1994)
China
Chinese Doctrinal Classifications of Buddhism - In the fifth
and sixth centuries CE, Chinese Buddhists employed p'an-chiao
as a hermeneutical strategy to reconcile the discrepancies among
the different teachings believed to have been taught by the
Buddha. By resorting to the doctrine of expedient means, they
were able to create a hierarchical framework within which the
entire range of Buddhist teachings could be systematically organized
into a coherent doctrinal whole.
Dafo - The worlds largest Buddha, in Leshan, China.
A Defense of Buddhism vs. Confucianism - A defense of Buddhism
written to refute some of the charges against the new religion
from India by Confucian and other Chinese. While the author
and date of composition are uncertain, this kind of tract was
common in China under the Southern Dynasties (420-589 CE).
Diamond Sutra: The World's Earliest Dated Printed Book -
A copy of the Diamond Sutra is the world's oldest example of
dated block printing.
Han Yu's Memorial to Buddhism - One of the leaders in the
Confucian counterattack on Buddhism was the classical prose
stylist and poet Han Yu (768-824 CE), who in 819 CE composed
this vitriolic polemic attacking Buddhism. A champion of rationalism,
Han Yu wished to suppress Daoism as well as Buddhism.
The Legend of Miao-shan - In China, Kuan-yin (Avalokitesvara)
came to be most frequently worshipped in female form as the
Goddess of Mercy. This transformation from an originally male
deity into a female one seems to have occurred sometime during
the Northern Sung dynasty (960-1126 CE) and is reflected in
Kuan-yin's miracluous appearance in human form in the legend
of Miao-shan.
A Record of the Buddhistic Kingdoms - An account of the
(394-414CE)journey by Fa-hsien and his companions. They visited
as many of the Buddhist sacred shrines as they could, especially
those associated with the presence of the Buddha. The selections
presented here show the reasons for the estblishment of these
shrines, the legends that surrounded them, and the ways in which
they were maintained.
Shaolin Kung Fu History - History of how the Shaolin monks
first originated in China, with details of their practice
India
Buddhist Ethics and Social Criticism - Essay on the development
of Buddhist philosophy in India, including social criticism,
polemics, personal ethics and morality and theories of human
suffering and happiness.
The Buddhist Heritage - Research team involved in the exploration
and restoration of forgotten Buddhist sites in India.
Decline and Fall of Buddhism in India - An account of the
fall of the Buddhist kings, the resurgence of Hinduism and the
entry of Islam to India.
Lumbini Buddha Temple - The Lumbini Buddha Temple including
Buddhist Relics in India.
Lumbini On Trial: The Untold Story - Essay on the controversy
regarding the exact location of Buddha's birthplace.
Mauryan Empire, Ashoka and the Defeat of Alexander the Great
- History of the great Buddhist king Ashoka, and his grandfather,
Chandragupta, who defeated Alexander the Great.
Ashoka - A short biography.
Ashoka, King of Behar: The Rock Edicts, c. 257 BCE - Excerpts
from some of the Rock Edicts Ashokaused to spread Buddhism.
Ashoka (or Asoka)'s life - Extracts from the Rock and Pillar
Edicts of the Indian king Ashoka (290-232 BC).
The Edicts of King Ashoka - Historical overview of what
is known about Ashoka and a translation of his edicts.
The Edicts of King Asoka - Historical overview and translation
of the edicts.
The Edicts of King Asoka - A translation by the Buddhist
Publication Society of all of the known Rock Edicts of King
Asoka.
The Life of Ashoka Mauryan - An account of his life, his
rise to power, and his conversion and acts. Includes a few relevant
pictures.
A Translation of the Edicts of Asoka - Description of his
life and a translation of Ashoka's rock edicts.
The Unknown Ashoka - A biography by Pradip Bhattacharya
detailing Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism.
