EARLY BUDDHISM

About the Book:-The book discusses adopted doctrines--karma transmigration in a chapter to describe essential doctrines of the original Buddhism. They are at the same time the distinctive doctrines: that is to say, the doctrines that distinguish it from all previous teaching in India. But the Buddha, while rejecting the sacrifices and the ritualistic magic of the Brahmin schools, the animistic superstitions of the people, and the pantheistic speculations of the poets of the pre-Buddhistic Upanishads, still retained the belief in transmigration. This belief--the transmigration of the soul, after the death of the body, into other bodies, either of men, beasts or gods--is part of the animistic creed, or is so widely found throughout the world that it was probably universal. In India it had already, before the rise of Buddhism, been raised into an ethical conception by the associated doctrine of Karma, according to which a man's social position in life and his physical advantages, or the reverse, were the result of his actions in a previous birth. The doctrine thus afforded an explanation, quite complete to those who could believe it, of the apparent anomalies and wrongs in the distribution here of happiness or woe. A man, for instance, is blind. This is owing to his lust of the eye in a previous birth. But he has also unusual powers of hearing. This is because he loved, in a previous birth, to listen to the preaching of the law. The explanation could always be exact, for it was scarcely more than a repetition of the point to be explained. It fits the facts because it is derived from them. About the Author:-Thomas William Rhys Davids FBA (12th May 1843 – 27th December 1922) was an English scholar of the Pāli language and founder of the Pāli Text Society. He took an active part in founding the British Academy and London School for Oriental Studies. In 1863 he returned to Britain, and on passing his civil service exams was posted to Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon). When he was Magistrate of Galle and a case was brought before him involving questions of ecclesiastical law, he first learned of the Pāli language when a document in that language was brought in as evidence. In 1871 he was posted as Assistant Government Agent of Nuwarakalaviya, where Anuradhapura was the administrative centre. The governor was Sir Hercules Robinson, who had founded the Archaeological Commission in 1868. The Title 'EARLY BUDDHISM written/authored/edited by T. W. RHYS DAVIDS', published in the year 2021. The ISBN 9788121225496 is assigned to the Paperback version of this title. This book has total of pp. 100 (Pages). The publisher of this title is Gyan Publishing House. This Book is in ENGLISH. The subject of this book is . Size of the book is 13.34 x 21.59 cms Vol:-