Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought provides the reader with a thorough and valuable overview of the historical development of the major Eastern religious and philosophical traditions, primarily in India, China, and Japan. The book is written in an engaging style that contains a variety of anecdotes, analogies, definitions, and supporting quotes from primary and secondary sources. Awakening helps the reader to recognize the interrelationships that exist among the various traditions, to appreciate the relevance of these traditions to the concerns of modern times, and to understand the major issues of interpretation regarding these traditions. The primary focus of Awakening is Hinduism and Buddhism, and they serve as the broad umbrellas that include a number of specific schools, each of which is treated individually. Other schools–such as Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto–are included at the appropriate place.
Awakening is for all students and interested readers, whether new to the study of Eastern thought or not.
New to the Seventh Edition:
- A new Introduction
- A clearer definition and explanation of "Yoga" (throughout Part 1)
- A rewrite of the Aryan Migration section in Chapter 1, bringing it in line with current research
- An added sub-chapter to Chapter 6, dealing with Kundalini Yoga
- Further clarification of the meaning of Anatman in Chapter 10
- Emphasis on the contribution of Daoism to Chan Buddhism
- Clearer presentation of the Life of Buddha (Legend vs. Reality)
- Updated Study Questions
- Two new videos added to the companion website
Key Features:
- An historical overview that attempts to show the development of Eastern philosophies, both within the individual traditions as well as within a broad but loosely unified system of thought
- Abundantly uses stories in chapter overviews to engage student readers and to better explain Eastern thought
- No background in Asian studies, philosophy, or religious studies is presumed, allowing any student to greatly benefit from reading this book
- A functional, visually attractive web site www.patrickbresnan.com with author-produced videos on the content of the book, scores of pictures, and a comprehensive section on meditation