The Genesis of the Bodhisattva Ideal von Anālayo
179 Seiten, ISBN 978-3-937816-62-3
Hamburg Buddhist Studies 1,
Hamburg University Press In this book,
Bhikkhu Anālayo investigates the genesis of the bodhisattva ideal, one of the most
important concepts in the history of Buddhist thought. He brings
together material from the corpus of the early discourses preserved
mainly in Pāli and Chinese that appear to have influenced the arising of
the bodhisattva ideal. Anālayo convincingly shows that the early
sources do not present compassionate concern for others as a motivating
force for the Buddha’s quest for awakening. He further offers an
analysis of the only reference to Maitreya in the Pāli canon, showing
that this reference is most likely a later addition. In sum, Bhikkhu
Anālayo is able to delineate a gradual genesis of central aspects of the
bodhisattva ideal by documenting (1) an evolution in the bodhisattva
concept reflected in the early discourses, (2) the emergence of the
notion of a vow to pursue the path to buddhahood, and (3) the possible
background for the idea of a prediction an aspirant to buddhahood
receives from a former buddha.
Hamburg Buddhist Studies
Download: The Genesis of the Bodhisattva Ideal