Faith and Devotion in Theravada Buddhism Book

Contents: Foreword – Sanghasen Singh. Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. Theravada conception of Gods and God: i. Meaning of the word Deva. ii. Buddha’s attitude on the existence of Devas, their place in his doctrine. iii. General characteristics of Deva in Theravada Buddhist perspective. iv. Devotional attitude of the Devas of higher and lower status. v. Recollection and contemplation on Devas. vi. A comparative study of some Buddhist Devas Vedic and Brahmanical Gods. vii. The Buddhist conception of creator God, the absolute and the supernatural. viii. Theravada Buddhist criticism of Theism. ix. Doctrinal points which are inconsistent and incompatible with the conception of creator God or the absolute. 2. The Buddha in the Theravada literature: i. Meaning of the word ‘Buddha’. ii. The exalted personality of the Buddha. iii. The supernormal knowledge of the Buddha. iv. Buddhas great compassion. v. The supernormal powers of the Buddha. vi. The functions of the Buddha. vii. The Supremacy of the Buddha. viii. The pre-eminence and the divinity of the Buddha. ix. Buddha as superman. x. The divinity of the Buddha. xi. The transcendence of the Buddha. xii. Theravada and docetism. 3. Saddha and Bhatti in Theravada Buddhism: I. Saddha: i. The meaning and scope of Saddha. ii. Saddha in the Ti-Sarana (Three refugees). iii. Means of cultivation of Saddha. iv. Advantages of cultivation of Saddha. v. Disadvantages of lack of Saddha. vi. Harming the Buddha and its retribution. II. Bhatti: i. Origins and meaning of Bhatti in the Pali Canon. ii. Nature and scope of "Bhatti". iii. Objectives of Buddha-bhakti. iv. Acts of Devotion. v. Advantages of devotion. vi. Disadvantages of lack of devotion. Epilogue. Bibliography. Index of Buddhist works. Index of Buddhist words and proper names.

"This is an analytical study of faith (Saddha), devotion (bhatti) and worship (puja) in the Theravada school of Buddhism. It elucidates these concepts and deals with their objects, viz., Gods in general, and Buddha in particular, as described in the Pali canonical, post canonical and commentarial literature.

The first chapter of this book examines the conception of the "the deities" and "the supernatural"; the attributes, knowledge, powers and functions of Buddhist deities; their role as objects of meditation; how Theravada Buddhism is non-theistic and how its basic concepts are incompatible to the conception of creator God. The second chapter discusses the special attributes, knowledge, powers and functions of the Buddha in the Theravada literature which establishes his supramundane character and spiritual eminence over Gods arhants and pratyekabuddhas. It throws light on the origins of Buddha’s deification, his docetic conception and other Buddhological speculations which led him to become an object of highest reverence, adoration and devotion. The third chapter outlines the origin, nature and scope of faith and devotion for the Buddha in Theravada literature; how and why he has been regarded as the object of absolute confidence (saddha), recollection and contemplation (buddha-nussati), devotion (bhatti) and worship (puja) and thereby viewed as Bhagavan and compassionate Saviour.

The book provides an authentic and comprehensive account of faith (saddha) and devotion (bhatti) in Pali canonical and post canonical literature of Theravada Buddhist school. This work is an invaluable aid to students teachers and researchers of Pali literature and Buddhist philosophy." (jacket)