The Buddhist Path to Awakening: A Study of the Bodhipakkhiya Dhamma

Abstract

This book is a study of a classic list of Buddhist teachings which includes such familiar items as the four establishings of mindfulness and the noble eightfold path. The complete list, already found in the Pali Nikayas and the later referred to as the thirty-seven dhammas that contribute to awakening', is seen as the embodying Buddhist path itself. The present work gives a comprehensive exposition of the treatment of the list according to the Pali sources, while also making use of Buddhist Sanskrit material. Particular attention is paid to the development of the traditional interpretations of the Abhidhamma and commentaries. The study provides a detailed account of the evolution of the Theravadin theory of meditation, exploring just how the texts understand the process whereby the ordinary'unawakened mind transforms itself into the transcendent' awakened mind. The book, in addition to shedding new light on the ancient Buddhist theory of meditation and the development of the Abhidhamma, is a valuable source of reference on a topic that must be counted as fundamental to Buddhist thought.

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