Based on a series of Oxford lectures delivered by a well-known Buddhist scholar, this volume covers the entire range of Buddhist thought. It introduces Buddhism as both religion and philosophy, discusses its common ground with other faiths throughout the world, contrasts monastic and popular Buddhism, and defines old and new schools of thought, including the Mahayana, the Yogacarins, and the Tantra. "He has opened the stately ground of scholarship to the public so that nothing of value and interest shall be missed. His readers are given an opportunity to understand something that has hitherto been only a mystery."--"The Times (London) "Literary Supplement. Unabridged republication of the edition published by Harper & Brothers, New York, 1959.

Edward Conze was one of the great Buddhist translators - a pioneer scholar who introduced key Buddhist texts to the Western world. This timely new edition of his Buddhist classic reminds us that true happiness is not to be found in material comfort and earthly satisfaction but in the pursuit of a higher ideal. Demonstrating throughout his heartfelt response to the fundamental wisdom of the Buddha, Conze presents a readable introduction to the array of doctrines, methods, and literature that have developed in the many schools of Buddhism as a result of their different approaches to the goal.