While Buddhism has no central text such as the Bible or the Koran, there is a powerful body of scripture from across Asia that encompasses the dharma, or the teachings of Buddha. This work provides tales of the Buddha's past lives, a discussion of the qualities and qualifications of a monk, and an exploration of the many meanings of Enlightenment. Acknowledgements ix Technical Note x Introduction: Digesting the Dharma xi Further Reading xlii THE BUDDHIST UNIVERSE 1 The Realms of Rebirth 3(16) 2 A Call to Practise 19(5) 3 Karma Tales 24(10) 4 A Lesson from a Ghost 34(3) 5 A Scripture that Protects Kings 37(9) 6 One Buddha per Universe 46(5) 7 Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side 51(9) 8 Rebirth in the Land of Bliss 60(9) 9 Avoiding Hell, Gaining Heaven 69(9) 10 A Chinese Pilgrim in India 78(6) 11 A Sacred Peak 84(6) 12. Maitreya Describes the Future 90(11) THE BUDDHA 13 The Three Jewels 101(4) 14 The Noble Search 105(11) 15 A Life of the Buddha 116(13) 16 Maya, Mother of the Buddha 129(7) 17 Why the Buddha Had Good Digestion 136(6) 18 A King Gives Away His Head 142(17) 19 Rupyavati Gives Away Her Breasts 159(13) 20 How the Buddha Became a Bodhisattva 172(13) 21 Proving the Buddha 185(8) 22 Enshrining a Relic 193(7) 23 The Consecration of a Buddha Image 200(12) 24 A Hymn to the Buddha 212(11) MONASTIC LIFE 25 The Evolution of Ordination 223(7) 26 Making Men into Monks 230(22) 27 A Murderer Becomes a Monk 252(10) 28 The Ascetic Ideal 262(7) 29 Monks in the Mahayana 269(9) 30 Making New Monastic Rules 278(7) 31 Lives of Eminent Monks and Nuns 285(12) 32 The Nine Patriarchs of the East 297(9) 33 Taking the Vinaya Across the Sea 306(12) 34 Zen for National Defence 318(11) 35 How a Monk Freed his Mother from Hell 329(6) 36 Living in the Degenerate Age 335(8) MEDITATION AND OTHER RITUALS 37 The Direct Path to Enlightenment 343(7) 38 Wisdom and Compassion 350(11) 39 Serenity and Discernment 361(9) 40 On the Relation of Study and Meditation 370(5) 41 Both Sudden and Gradual Enlightenment 375(4) 42 Reciting the Name of the Buddha 379(9) 43 The Bodhisattva Vow 388(6) 44 Freeing Birds and Fish from Bondage 394(8) 45 Against Animal Sacrifice 402(14) 46 Feeding Hungry Ghosts 416(7) 47 A Sutra for Long Life 423(7) 48 Transforming Death into Buddhahood 430(11) ENLIGHTENMENT 49 A Lay Master of Meditation 441(4) 50 Nuns Triumph over Evil 445(5) 51 The Perfection of Wisdom 450(14) 52. In Praise of Reality 464(14) 53 Songs of the Siddhas 478(10) 54 The Ultimate Couple 488(7) 55 Buddhahood in this Lifetime 495(9) 56 The Practice of No Thought 504(9) 57 Finding Enlightenment in the Final Age 513(9) 58 The Gift of Faith 522(9) 59 A Zen Master Interprets the Dharma 531(9) 60 Dedication of Merit 540(9) Glossary 549