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The history, development, and present-day teaching of the various schools of Buddhism, the religion-philosophy which has moulded the life of much of the Eastern world.

This little book gives an overview of Buddhism from its beginning until the late 1940s when the book was written. Buddhism is much more complex and varied than I had expected and this book is a good introduction to the various schools, to their histories, the scriptures and texts, and to the differences between the practice of Buddhism in the various countries as Buddhism spread throughout the world, first eastward and then westward.

Humphreys introduces some of the philosophies of Buddhism, but only to familiarize the reader with the basic ideas and vocabulary. What is most helpful to someone like me who knew almost nothing about Buddhism is the wonderful bibliographies he attaches to every chapter. It was a nice introduction which allows the reader to choose what form of Buddhism he would like to study more deeply. ( )

A classic introduction to Buddhism, and a quite useful, very British dharma.