Book Description
David J. Kalupahana's balanced and brilliantly concise account is an attempt to place the early Buddhist descriptions of the world of experience, the state of freedom, and the moral principle leading to such freedom within the framework of impermanence. He begins by outlining the Indian philosophical background and proceeds to analyze the presuppositions of these moral theories. A comprehensive description of the moral teachings of early Buddhism follows. Kalupahana goes on to demonstrate the application of the moral principle in the explanation of society, economics, politics, law and justice, and nature. The conclusion highlights the two most important metaphors used in the early discourse: the stream (of becoming) and the lotus (of freedom).
