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A Concise History of Buddhism
- From 500 BCE-1900 CE
- Narrated by: Jinananda
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
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Publisher's Summary
An ideal introduction to the history of Buddhism.
Andrew Skilton - Senior Research Fellow in Buddhist Studies, Kings College, London - explains the development of the basic concepts of Buddhism and its spread across the continents during its 2,500 years of history.
He begins with a close look at Buddhism in India, where it flourished until the 12th/13th century CE, charting the growth of different schools and practices. By the time it disappeared from its homeland midway through the millennium, it had become established in Central Asia and the Far East in a variety of forms.
Skilton looks at Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Burma and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Mongolia and in countries where there are now only archeological remains, such as Iran. This is a fascinating and useful insight into the historical progress of one of the world's great religions.
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What listeners say about A Concise History of Buddhism
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Heavypen
- 04-18-18
Difficult for the indoctrinated
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I have some experience with Buddhism - introduced as a child - and there were a few places in this work that helped clarify key points of Buddhism philosophy. However, the historical narrative is so slow and muddled to the point where listening is extremely difficult. In my opinion, this work needs prior experience with Buddhism. It is not for the rank beginner - although that's the marketing position. Minus one star for not being honest. Minus another star for muddling pronunciation of various words to the point where the narrative slows down to a crawl.
Would you be willing to try another book from Andrew Skilton? Why or why not?
I may. Depends on the topic.
What three words best describe Jinananda’s voice?
Unexciting.
Did A Concise History of Buddhism inspire you to do anything?
This book inspired me to look for another book to read.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jan
- 12-19-20
Great overview of the development of Buddhism!
The book gives a concise and systematized overview of Buddhism in India (primarily) and the rest of Asia (secondarily). Narration is also brilliant!
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-10-20
Good book, weirdly edited.
Kinda confused at the end, seems to have cut off at random, then foreword again?
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- Anonymous User
- 10-25-19
read buy ?
My store in more words or another. Was my favorite to begin with still lessoning from time to time
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- Anonymous User
- 02-25-21
Highly informative
The book is very interesting and makes for an extremely thorough study of Buddhist teachings and formation. At times it feels quite hard to follow the text, especially in an audiobook, as there is a large amount of relevant terms in various languages, which occasionally leaves the listener confused what that particular term meant, with no way of easy checking. Aside from that, though, it gives an extremely interesting, deep and multifaceted history not only of the formation of Buddhist teachings and variations, but also of the history of the various countries studied. Therefore, strongly recommend it for everyone interested in gaining a better understanding of both Buddhism and/or interested in getting better understanding of the context and story of (ex-or current) Buddhist practicing countries.
1 person found this helpful
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- SJRod
- 01-10-18
Excellent
I really enjoyed this and it is a book i will listen to again and again as there is a lot of information that needs digested.
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- Marcos
- 10-29-17
Amazing book
Wonderful book and read by a great narrator. I will listen to it many times as it is so inspirational.
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- Haydos585
- 09-19-20
Informative and easy history.
This book is an informative and useful history. Good for commuting or exercising. Some of the terms are better to listen to than read, which makes it easier. The depth of the book means that some of the history can be hard to follow if you're wanting to use the information in an academic context.