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Overview
The vast majority of books on Buddhism describe the Buddha using the word enlightened, rather than awakened. This bias prevails in extraordinary manner, and Buddhism has become generally perceived as being the eponymous religion of enlightenment. This book is a sophisticated study of some of the assumptions underlying and ramifications involved in the study of "Buddhism" (especially, but not exclusively, in the West), and of the tendency of most scholars to ground their study of "Buddhism" in particular assumptions about the Buddha's enlightenment and a particular understanding of "religion", which is traced back through Western orientalists to the Enlightenment and the Protestant Reformation. Placing particular emphasis on Indian Buddhism, Richard Cohen adeptly creates a work that is of interest to buddhologists, indologists, scholars of comparative religion, and intellectual historians.
Synopsis
The vast majority of books on Buddhism describe the Buddha using the word enlightened, rather than awakened. This bias has resulted in Buddhism becoming generally perceived as the eponymous religion of enlightenment.
Beyond Enlightenment is a sophisticated study of some of the underlying assumptions involved in the study of Buddhism (especially, but not exclusively, in the West). It investigates the tendency of most scholars to ground their study of Buddhism in these particular assumptions about the Buddha’s enlightenment and a particular understanding of religion, which is traced back through Western orientalists to the Enlightenment and the Protestant Reformation.
Placing a distinct emphasis on Indian Buddhism, Richard Cohen adeptly creates a work that will appeal to those with an interest in Buddhism and India and also scholars of religion and history.