Description

About the Book

“Homlessness and Emptiness. The Buddha’s path to freedom” investigates the formation of Buddhism as a religion, from its roots in the movement of “religious beggars” in India to the development of the Great Vehicle. The book studies the spiritual resources of Buddhism and the challenges of past and modern times Buddhism has been and is confronted with. “Homelessness and Emptiness. The Buddha’s Path to Freedom” is a contribution to the ongoing interfaith dialogue and to the dialogue between Christianity the the world of Asian religions and cultures. The author, Thomas Mooren OFM Cap, is the former director of the department of Mission Studies and Inter religious Dialogue at Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Canada. He is author of numerous articles and books on interfaith dialogue and mission studies.

I recommend “Homelessness and Emptiness” to all those who are thirsty and hungry for an in-depth interfaith-dialogue, in particular with Buddhism.

Fr. Denis Dancause, omi. longtime missionary in India

Contents

Introduction

Part I

The Turning of the Wheel: Homelessness and Enlightenment

1.1 The Socio-Historical Context of Early Buddhism.

1.2 The Life of the Buddha

1.3 The Buddha- Mudra.

Part II

The Content of the Law: Homelessness and Selflessness

2.1 The Psychology of Suffering

2.2 Dependent Origination and the Doctrine of “No-elf1

Part III

The Practice of the Law: Homelessnes and Freedom

3.1 Nirvana and Homelessness

3.2 The Silence that is Nirvana

3.3 Thinking lmpermanency

Part IV

The Second Turning of the Wheel: Homelessness as Emptiness

4.1 Prelude: The Nature of Perfection

4.2 Emptiness