Description

About the Book

This book is a historical study of the Buddhist cosmology which was formulated in its perfect form by the Mahayana school of the Yogacharyasat the end of the Kushan period.The essence of this concept did not exceed the main channel of Mahayana thought and amounted to the idea of an inner metalogical unity of samsara and niravana, and forms the ‘psycho-cosmic’ system which may be termed the ‘Buddhist cosmos’. The Buddhist cosmosmodel has constructed on the principle of the psychocosmogramwhich is a visual and symbolic representation of cosmic forces as psychic processes. It is based on two basic principles of Buddhism: the concepts of the ‘Wheel of Becoming’ (bhavabhava-cakra) which turns in the endless round of birth and death, and of the ‘Wheel of the Doctrine’ (dharma-cakra) by following which one may attain release from the never-ending round of transmigration.

About the Author

N.K. Singh has specialised himself in oriental studies and wrote a number of books on religion and philosophy. His works especially on oriental studies initiated considerable interest on Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, carrying high appreciation from scholars of Buddhist and Islamic countries. Presently, he is working as the Director of International Centre for Religious Studies, Delhi and Chief Editor of Global Religious Vision—a quarterly Research Journal.