Many expositions of the Buddha's Teaching in English have appeared in recent year, but a great number of them lack authenticity and do not represent the Buddha-word correctly. I have in all humility undertaken to set out as accurately as possible the Teaching of the Buddha as it is found in the Pali Canon, the Tripitaka, of the Theravada which has pre-served of the oldest and most faithful tradition. This book, therefore, gives a comprehensive account of the central conception of Buddhism-the Four Noble Truths-with special emphasis on the Noble Eightfold Path which is Buddhism in practice. I have named the book The Ancient Path (puranamaggam), the very words used by the Buddha in reference to the Eightfold Path. As an introduction the first chapter gives a concise account of the life of the Buddha, while the second sets out the correct standpoint of Buddhism. The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path are discussed at full length in the following chapters. A good deal space is devoted to Buddhist meditation, as found in the suttas or discourses of the Buddha, in chapters 12, 13 and 14. |
