An abridged translation of one of the most important books on Theravada Buddhism in recent history—authored by the esteemed Thai monk P. A. Payutto.

This masterpiece of scholarship is an authoritative overview of Theravada Buddhism, the form of Buddhism that is predominant in Southeast Asia and has in recent decades been popularized in the West through the mindfulness movement and vipassana meditation. Venerable P. A. Payutto unpacks in great detail the core views and practices that are said to bring the Buddhist practitioner to the state of nibanna, or enlightenment.

Replete with passages from the ancient Pali canon of Buddhist texts, Payutto frames the Buddhist teaching in terms of broad existential questions that all of us face: “What Is Life?”; “What Is Life Like?”; “How Does Life Work?”; “How Should Life Be?”; and “How Should Life Be Lived?” Payutto’s illuminating expertise shows Theravada Buddhism to be a thorough explication of how reality unfolds according to natural processes—as well as a way of life that can yield the highest form of happiness.

This book offers discussions of unparalleled sophistication on such foundational Buddhist teachings as the five khandas, dependent arising, kamma, the noble eightfold path, spiritual friendship, wise attention, the four noble truths, the nature of enlightenment, and more. This is an essential guide for anyone walking the Theravada Buddhist path.

Autorentext

BHIKKHU P. A. PAYUTTO (SOMDET PHRA BUDDHAGHOSACARIYA) is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Pali canon and Theravada Buddhism. He entered monastic life at the age of thirteen and has since authored more than four hundred books and booklets. He has taught widely at universities in Thailand and the United States and has received numerous honors and awards, including the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. He is the abbot of Wat Nyanavesakavan, a temple outside Bangkok, Thailand.
 
BRUCE EVANS is a translator, editor, and Theravada Buddhist practitioner. He took bhikkhu ordination under Ajahn Chah in the 1970s and lived for seventeen years as a monk in Thailand. From 1985 to 1992, he served as abbot of a remote monastery on the Thailand-Laos border. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.