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Rating: 
Summary: THE WAY THINGS ARE
Review: Coming to see things the way they really are, is the path of Buddha Dharma, the Buddhist doctrine, that leads to enlightenment, as clarified by the author Paul Williams. Ironically, in the Western world Buddhism itself is still very far from being adequately seen the way it really is, despite the considerable amount of popular and academic studies which were being pursued in the last century. The ever increasing interest in Eastern philosophy and religion notwithstanding, the vast majority of people in Europe and the US is still merely acquainted with a rarely coherent and often motley patchwork of woolly catchword outlines as regards the teachings of Buddha and the historical developments that originate in them and have thence yielded a diversity of exegetical schools branching out in many directions. Especially the obtrusive invasion of zeitgeist esoterica, which have been cramming the bookshops full of shelf-metres of oh so edifying and devotional tomes since the late 1960's, their authors claiming to have grasped the allegedly only true essence of Buddhism, contributes to the maintenance of confusion and ignorance about this in fact not so easily understood religious philosophy. Accordingly, whenever an interested and unbiased layperson happened to come upon an objectively informative and authoritative work on Buddhist thought, before losing track within the maze of all those fashionable titles on the market concerning Buddhist topics, she/he could count her-/himself very lucky indeed. More than anything else, exemplary up-to-date introductions for beginners without previous experience in the sophisticated field of academic Buddhist studies were virtually inexistent until recently. Fortunately, this poor situation has now changed for the better through the publication of an outstanding work that meets perfectly all requirements reason and logic impose to my greatest satisfaction: "Buddhist Thought" by Paul Williams and Anthony Tribe, two internationally leading scholars in the field of Buddhist studies. Their brilliant, well-written book is undoubtedly by far the best introductory summary available, shedding bright light of objective comprehension and knowledge on the complex spiritual world of Buddhism by laying bare and concisely expounding its quintessence, to whose fascinating intellectual power many great men like, for instance, the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer have succumbed. If you intend to gain a first, yet thorough and actually reliable understanding of the extensive realm of Buddhism, choose this book as your indispensable guide without the slightest hesitation and forget about all those unscholarly and sorry esoteric efforts producing the kind of joss stick literature hardly worth the paper that will make your mind swim and won't get you any further with your quest for clear and valid information. As I cited at the beginning, the Buddha is the one who is seeing things the way they really are. Correspondingly, Williams & Tribe are the ones who are seeing Buddhism the way it really is. So we have come full circle. Your awakening is awaiting you! ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Good overview by recognized author
Review: I'll be brief. This book is for readers interested in a good, relatively short, readable and useful book on the basics of Indian-tradition buddhism, which also touches on the confluence of Buddhism and Western philosophy. That said, it is an introductory work, and so it cannot cover everything. Paul Williams is one of the finest writers on Buddhism and philosophy, and here he has written a wide-ranging book that -- while being devoted to doctrinal and practical and historical matters -- also touches on philosophy. The book is informed by his learning, and that of his co-author too (Tribe is responsible for just the one chapter.) I recommend it, and encourage readers to have a glance at Paul Williams' other books, and those of David Harvey as well. Incidentally, the best short-and-sweet introduction to Buddhism must surely be Damien Keown's little book entitled Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction. And should the reader want to move to the other extreme and tackle philosophically weightier, cutting-edge topics, he or she should pick up works by Jay Garfield or (especially) George Dreyfus.
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Summary: Contains the best brief overview of tantric Buddhism
Review: I've only read chapter seven of Williams' "Buddhist Thought," which was actually written by Anthony Tribe. However, on the strength of this one chapter alone, I feel moved to recommend this book. Put simply, chapter seven is the single best brief introductory overview of tantric Buddhism that I have ever encountered. I was stunned by the amount of useful, intelligent, accurate information that was provided in such a short space, especially since this is one of the most misunderstood topics in all of Buddhist Studies. Bravo to Tribe; this chapter alone is probably worth the price of the book, and if the rest of the book is up to this standard, this is a volume of rare excellence indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Contains the best brief overview of tantric Buddhism
Review: I've only read chapter seven of Williams' "Buddhist Thought," which was actually written by Anthony Tribe. However, on the strength of this one chapter alone, I feel moved to recommend this book. Put simply, chapter seven is the single best brief introductory overview of tantric Buddhism that I have ever encountered. I was stunned by the amount of useful, intelligent, accurate information that was provided in such a short space, especially since this is one of the most misunderstood topics in all of Buddhist Studies. Bravo to Tribe; this chapter alone is probably worth the price of the book, and if the rest of the book is up to this standard, this is a volume of rare excellence indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Great Content, Dreary Style
Review: This book has many strengths and a notable weakness. On the positive side, both authors are extremely knowledgeable and guide the reader through some extremely difficult ideas. Indian Buddhism is not a straightforward topic. There are many academic debates raging on extremely fundamental questions, and there has been quite a bit of revisionism in recent years. Williams (who wrote all of the book except for the last chapter) is clearly in command of this complex material, including recent scholarship. And he has very well-considered opinions on major topics. His insights can enrich just about anyone¡¦s views of the development of Buddhism. This book is not for everyone. It is definitely not an introduction to Buddhism ¡V Williams assumes that the reader has a little bit of background. Nor is this for traditional Buddhists who like their myths intact. Williams takes a historical approach that leads him to poke holes in many common beliefs. I consider this a plus - it's intriguing to watch Williams demolishing so many tired stereotypes. Unfortunately, this book has a major flaw. Williams may be quite knowledgeable about Indian Buddhism, but he isn¡¦t a very talented stylist. His prose is dull, and sometimes this lackluster writing makes it difficult to understand what he¡¦s getting at. This is a shame, because the content is so good. The pace picks up considerably toward the end; Anthony Tribe writes with much more vigor, and he gives an extremely lucid introduction to Indian Buddhist tantra. I fault the publisher ¡V Routledge should definitely have subjected this book to some major editing to punch up the dreary style. Despite this drawback, I would still strongly recommend this book. For anyone who knows about the basics of Buddhism and wants to learn more, this is an excellent choice. Also, the bibliography of sutras and secondary scholarship is superb. This alone is worth the price of the book. The bibliography is an excellent guide to further reading.
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Summary: Best single volume on the history of Buddhist philosophy
Review: Williams trumps his masterful classic "Mahayana Buddhism" with an even better book. This is vastly superior to any previous effort (David Kalupahana, eat your heart out!). Williams has a superb talent for explicating difficulty ideas with clarity and simplicity, and his prose has a pleasant and inviting tone. He is also completely up to date on the state of current specialized scholarship, so even those readers already endowed with a good grasp of the development of Buddhist philosophy will find an abundance of interesting material here. This book is destined to be a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Best single volume on the history of Buddhist philosophy
Review: Williams trumps his masterful classic "Mahayana Buddhism" with an even better book. This is vastly superior to any previous effort (David Kalupahana, eat your heart out!). Williams has a superb talent for explicating difficulty ideas with clarity and simplicity, and his prose has a pleasant and inviting tone. He is also completely up to date on the state of current specialized scholarship, so even those readers already endowed with a good grasp of the development of Buddhist philosophy will find an abundance of interesting material here. This book is destined to be a classic.
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