Buddhism a Holistic Vision

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

The concept of ultimate goal of human life is always changing time to time in every religion. Buddhism is also not an exception. How the thoughts, philosophy, language and literature, and art forms were changed in Buddhism is the theme of the book. Apart of this revival of Buddhism in India is also discussed in brief.

Dr. G. K. Lama, Professor, Department of AIHC & Archaeology, Centre of Advanced Study, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, having specialization in the field of Archaeology, Buddhism and Asian Studies, has 31 books in his credit namely Tibet Men Bauddha Dharma Ka Itihas-2004: Samyak Darshan -2004; Cultural Heritage of South- East Asia-2009: Indus to Ganges-2009: Pakkakot: Some New Archaeological Dimensions of Mid-Ganga Plain-2012; Buddhist Cave Temples of Ancient India-2013; A Buddhist Universe-2016; An Archaeological Journey of Nalanda-2018; Art Heritage of Nalanda-2018; India: A Journey from Lithic to Iron-2019; Footprints of the Buddha on the Roof of the World-2020, Glimpses of North- East India-2021, Indian Culture through the Ages-2021, Revealing India's Past-2021, Buddhism on the Silk Route-2022, Mysterious World of Siddhas-2022, The Cult of Adamantine Path-2022, Buddhism A Living Spiritual Force-2022, Indian Archaeology Some New Perspectives-2022, Glimpses of Asian Art Heritage-2023, Indian History A Multidisciplinary Approach-2023, Fusion of Indian Culture on Asia-2023, Unique Features of Buddhist Monasteries-2023, Mahayana Sutra Samgraha-2023, Cultural Heritage of Nepal-2023, India in Chinese Travelogues- 2023, Trans Himalayan Buddhism-2023, The Sacred Ganga-2024, Prajna-Jyoti-2024, Yantra-Mantra-Tantra in Buddhism-2024 and Archaeological Excavations at Rukhegarh, Nalanda-2024.. He has presented 89 research papers in various National and International seminars and 113 research papers have been published in various reputed journals, edited books, conference proceedings and felicitation volumes. He has completed a Major Research Project entitled Archaeological Investigation in and around Nalanda, granted by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, which was submitted in 2014. The author has also completed 16 projects regarding archaeological investigations in Sikkim, Eastern and Western UP and Bihar with the kind permission of Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi. He has invited twice to Sri Lanka and once to Thailand to deliver special lectures.

Dr. Pardhi has actively participated in several national and international conferences; published several research papers in referred research journals; and contributed chapters on terracotta art and metal objects in several excavation reports. He has more than a decade of experience working in archaeological fields. He is also a life member of many archaeological societies, including ISPQS. IAS, IAHC, ISC, IHC, ESI, SOSAA, etc.

Buddhism as a religion concerns itself very much with suffering and evil faced by all sentient beings. Enlightenment is essential to Buddhist teaching but it is more important to know that Buddhist enlightenment should be understood in reference to human suffering and human nature. In fact, it is a way of self awareness liberating humankind from all suffering and evil. Buddhist teachings explain the origin of suffering and evil in referring to the constitution of human nature. In other words, Buddhism emerged as a teligion which offered enlightenment to human beings in order to liberate them from all sufferings. This is the original meaning of the four noble truths: Suffering, Gathering, Cessation and Paths. The first two noble truths explain the suffering of human beings and the formation of the world. According to the noble truth of suffering, human condition consists in suffering of all kind. including giving birth. getting old, getting sick and dying.....etc. There are other sufferings such as separation from what is pleasant, not obtaining that which are desired, being sad and especially those sufferings caused by impermanence and by the gathering and separation of conditions. Concerning the noble truth of gathering, it could be interpreted also as having some cosmological implications. The formation of the world could be seen as determined by gathering of elements according to the arising of their interdependent conditions. This interpretation is an extension of the doctrine of dependent causation. Beginning from the initial condition of ignorance, the twelve links, either by simultaneous coordination or by temporal causation, determine the formation of life and the world. In short, suffering was resulted from the dependent causation initiated by the original ignorance, and in the face of it, a self-awareness of the causation process, could liberate human beings from these sufferings. Liberation. could be affected by the practice of the other two noble truths, cessation and paths. Cessation means liberation from the original darkness and liberation from all sufferings, in the state of Nirvana. As to the noble truth of "Path", it means the practice of the eightfold right path, leading there by to the achievement of a virtuous man.