Sakya or Buddhist Origins

Sakya or Buddhist Origins by Mrs. Rhys Davids is as relevant today as it was in 1928, the year of its first publication.

Time has added to its value. The remarkable progress in the realm of Science has not abated man's yearning for the call of the quest.

As the title implies, its aim is to unravel the genuine message of Gotama, the Buddha, from the accretions in the Pali scriptures, by adopting the techniques of archaeologist. It is divided into two parts. Part one treats of "the discovery, the reconstruction, the rehabilitation of that which, at its birth, was a new and true word from very man to very man, true always and everywhere." Part two tells how this gospel came to be dressed "to suit a monastic set of ideals." An appendix dealing with Pali Pitakas is added.

Over the years, in spite of a large number of books, the horizons of knowledge about Buddhism have remained stationary. This book takes a further step in widening that Knowledge and thus provides an impetus for further research.

About the Author:

Mrs. Rhys Davids (27 September 1857 - 26 June 1942), a well-known authority on Buddhism, undertook the difficult task of translating from original Pali a number of Buddhist works which justifiably earned her a place among the foremost scholars of Buddhism. She was a pupil of Prof. T.W. Rhys Davids whom she later married. Besides her translation of the Dhamma-Sangani undertook the translation and interpretation of a number of works on Abhidhamma. As the editor of the Pali Text Society, a number of other works were published under her guidance. She was also the author of a number of books and articles: the more well-known are: Buddhist Psychology, translation of Thera-Therigatha in English verse entitled Psalms of the Early Buddhist Brothers and Sisters and the Wayfarers' Words (in three Vols.) and What are the Original Gospel in Buddhism

1. THE BIRTH OF A NEW RELIGION
2. THE WORLD AWAITING SAKYA
3. THE MESSAGE OF THE SAKYAN
4. Dharma, Dhamma
5. MAN'S WILL IN SAKYA
6. THE WAY AND BECOMING
7. THE FIRST "SONS OF THE SAKYA"
8. THE MANDATE ON CAUSE
9. MUSING (Dhyana) IN SAKYA
10. SAKYA, SANKHAYA, AND THE SELF
11. THE WARDING OF MAN (Brahma-vihara)
12. Rddhi, OR THE MAN AS MORE
13. Abhijna, OR THE MAN ADVANCING
14. THE WORLDS IN SAKYA
15. THE CROWN IN THE MANDATE: COMPASSION
16. THE MAN OF THE NEW WORD
17. THE TEACHING OF THE FIRST MEN OF SAKYA

18. SAKYA ORPHANED.
19. SAKYA IN CONFERENCE
20. BUDDHA-CULT AND THE NOT-MAN (anatta)
21. SAKYA AND THE RECORDS
22. SAKYA AND ABHIDHAMMA
23. SAKYA REVIVED IN ASOKA
    EPILOGUE

1. PALI
2. BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY
3. CONCLUDING PORTIONS IN THE FIRST UTTERANCES
4. THE DATE OF THE BIRTH OF SAKYA
5. THE PALI PITAKAS
   Index