--- product_id: 4088731 title: "Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations (The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices)" price: "AR$153868" currency: ARS in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/4088731-mahayana-buddhism-the-doctrinal-foundations-the-library-of-religious-beliefs store_origin: AR region: Argentina --- # Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations (The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices) **Price:** AR$153868 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations (The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices) - **How much does it cost?** AR$153868 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.ar](https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/4088731-mahayana-buddhism-the-doctrinal-foundations-the-library-of-religious-beliefs) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Originating in India, Mahayana Buddhism spread across Asia, becoming the prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet and East Asia. Over the last twenty-five years Western interest in Mahayana has increased considerably, reflected both in the quantity of scholarly material produced and in the attraction of Westerners towards Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. Paul Williams’ Mahayana Buddhism is widely regarded as the standard introduction to the field, used internationally for teaching and research and has been translated into several European and Asian languages. This new edition has been fully revised throughout in the light of the wealth of new studies and focuses on the religion’s diversity and richness. It includes much more material on China and Japan, with appropriate reference to Nepal, and for students who wish to carry their study further there is a much-expanded bibliography and extensive footnotes and cross-referencing. Everyone studying this important tradition will find Williams’ book the ideal companion to their studies. Review: Very clear writing style - great! - After a few years of practicing Buddhism and reading Dharma books, I am reading this as my first scholarly text, and I'm very impressed by it. It certainly is NOT an introduction for beginners, but Williams is careful to include just enough explanation to keep me reading without feeling a need to resort to Wikipedia (heh!). His footnotes (endnotes) are amazing -- the book proper is only 266 pages, followed by 121 pages of endnotes. I'm skipping most of these, but when I do dip into them, I'm even more impressed by Williams's unusual ability to stick to a central idea and successfully separate out the interesting surrounding ideas (which need not muddy up the main text). I also appreciate his ability to steer clear of Western philosophy. He is presenting the history, central texts and teachings, and disputes of the Mahayana with well-focused discipline. He does this with clarity, occasional stunning insights, and sometimes even a touch of humor! (I especially like it when he refers to "old and basic" ideas of Buddhism; he seems to have a particularly good sense of his audience for this book.) It's very nice to get a sense of how certain issues were divisive (or not) without being lost in excessive detail about each and every school's (or lineage's) take on the matter. That is not to say Williams is treating the subject superficially but rather another indication of his clear focus. Don't consider this book if you know very little about Buddhism at present. But if you are well-grounded in the teachings and have some idea of the "place" of Mahayana, and you want to experience an academic approach to the subject, this book will not disappoint you. P.S. I'm reading (more than halfway through) the new second edition. Review: Here, Finally in the second edition is a great work on one of the greatest religions, Mahayana Buddhism. This is a masterpiece. - PERFECT. When something is perfect, agile and also accurate in what it explains about the greater and lesser Buddhism you know it is good. I was long a Mahayana Buddhist before the publication of this work. All I read were books of the sayings of the Buddha, Buddhist scholars, books written for initiates tend to turn me off but this is both good for home and as a textbook. Can I, do I recommend you read this? Yes. Over and over. Aside from books in Buddhist monasteries written by Buddhas following our Gautama Buddha there was little that was truly understood. I would always get mad when someone would flippantly, so perfectly jaded and bathed in irony, say Buddhism is not a religion, that there is no God is Buddhism is a fool. Read and learn. Do not accept the lies and fake wisdom of others. Paul Williams, I applaud him in his research and presentation of this greatest of Buddhist sects. I do not like Zen. I think Zen is the Pentecostal side of Buddhism and many will argue with me about it, but if I were Zen then I would be compelled to urinate on them during the argument if I were so inclined. Mahayana Buddhism is the cradle of knowledge. Do not let this die on the shelf. Buy it. Read it. You need not be Buddhist to consume and use the knowledge, you just need a mind capable of understanding cause and effect. Buy this book. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,067,805 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #71 in Buddhism (Books) #144 in Mahayana Buddhism #468 in Buddhist Sacred Writings (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 50 Reviews | ## Images ![Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations (The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61I6R5x3wzL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very clear writing style - great! *by M***S on January 1, 2009* After a few years of practicing Buddhism and reading Dharma books, I am reading this as my first scholarly text, and I'm very impressed by it. It certainly is NOT an introduction for beginners, but Williams is careful to include just enough explanation to keep me reading without feeling a need to resort to Wikipedia (heh!). His footnotes (endnotes) are amazing -- the book proper is only 266 pages, followed by 121 pages of endnotes. I'm skipping most of these, but when I do dip into them, I'm even more impressed by Williams's unusual ability to stick to a central idea and successfully separate out the interesting surrounding ideas (which need not muddy up the main text). I also appreciate his ability to steer clear of Western philosophy. He is presenting the history, central texts and teachings, and disputes of the Mahayana with well-focused discipline. He does this with clarity, occasional stunning insights, and sometimes even a touch of humor! (I especially like it when he refers to "old and basic" ideas of Buddhism; he seems to have a particularly good sense of his audience for this book.) It's very nice to get a sense of how certain issues were divisive (or not) without being lost in excessive detail about each and every school's (or lineage's) take on the matter. That is not to say Williams is treating the subject superficially but rather another indication of his clear focus. Don't consider this book if you know very little about Buddhism at present. But if you are well-grounded in the teachings and have some idea of the "place" of Mahayana, and you want to experience an academic approach to the subject, this book will not disappoint you. P.S. I'm reading (more than halfway through) the new second edition. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Here, Finally in the second edition is a great work on one of the greatest religions, Mahayana Buddhism. This is a masterpiece. *by H***T on November 25, 2016* PERFECT. When something is perfect, agile and also accurate in what it explains about the greater and lesser Buddhism you know it is good. I was long a Mahayana Buddhist before the publication of this work. All I read were books of the sayings of the Buddha, Buddhist scholars, books written for initiates tend to turn me off but this is both good for home and as a textbook. Can I, do I recommend you read this? Yes. Over and over. Aside from books in Buddhist monasteries written by Buddhas following our Gautama Buddha there was little that was truly understood. I would always get mad when someone would flippantly, so perfectly jaded and bathed in irony, say Buddhism is not a religion, that there is no God is Buddhism is a fool. Read and learn. Do not accept the lies and fake wisdom of others. Paul Williams, I applaud him in his research and presentation of this greatest of Buddhist sects. I do not like Zen. I think Zen is the Pentecostal side of Buddhism and many will argue with me about it, but if I were Zen then I would be compelled to urinate on them during the argument if I were so inclined. Mahayana Buddhism is the cradle of knowledge. Do not let this die on the shelf. Buy it. Read it. You need not be Buddhist to consume and use the knowledge, you just need a mind capable of understanding cause and effect. Buy this book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Some caveats for the would-be lector. *by L***E on October 25, 2015* There are already several capable reviews on this thread. However, I add a few remarks. 1. The book does not cover Zen or Tantric Buddhism. It focuses on Indian and Chinese Buddhism, with discussions of selected (non-tantric) doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism. 2. The title means what it says about emphasis on doctrine. There is little or no discussion of practice as such. 3. For most readers the book may be primarily useful as a reference work. It is, as other reviewer noted, thoroughly academic, philological, and detailed. The author truly leaves no stone unturned in the topics he treats. I read all the endnotes, which fill a large part of the book, and there is an enormous amount of valuable material in them as well as in the text. 4. The best parts are on Indian Buddhism, which are superb, especially the sections on Madhyamika. The parts on East Asian Buddhism are very good but not as encyclopedic as the Indian sections. IMO the author did not present an adequate grasp of the Taoist elements in Chinese Buddhism. And of course the limitation on the discussion of Chan and Zen is a drawback. 5. Despite my caveats, I recommend this book highly to anyone who feels interested in the challenge. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/4088731-mahayana-buddhism-the-doctrinal-foundations-the-library-of-religious-beliefs](https://www.desertcart.com.ar/products/4088731-mahayana-buddhism-the-doctrinal-foundations-the-library-of-religious-beliefs) --- *Product available on Desertcart Argentina* *Store origin: AR* *Last updated: 2026-11-01*