The Evolving Buddha
New Perspectives and Dynamic Change in Nichiren Buddhism (SGI)
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Narrated by:
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J.D. Gilbert
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By:
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J.D. Gilbert
About this listen
“I do not think I have ever read anything that has impressed and inspired me more.” (José CavillaIs)
Buddhism dynamically changing to meet the challenges of the 21st Century and empower humanity? Nichiren Buddhists of the Soka Gakkai tradition would likely say, yes.
“So many people say that if they were to take up a religion, it would be Buddhism. For them, and for the thousands of existing practitioners, here is a beautifully written book…. Consistently asking the questions the reader wants answered, it promotes a questioning approach consistent with freedom of thought.” (Jim Cowan, author, The Britain Potential, and editor, Buddhism of the Sun)
In this book, J.D. Gilbert challenges the preconceptions around this ancient religion by showing how Buddhism has been and remains a dynamic and evolving framework for universal truths and personal transformation.
Focusing on the world's largest lay Buddhist movement, Soka Gakkai International (SGI), practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, Gilbert relays wide-ranging research demonstrating that much of what we hold as "absolute" has undergone its own evolutionary journey. In so doing, the meaning and structures of Buddhism are given a refreshing and renewed perspective.
Taking six key aspects of SGI Buddhism, Gilbert validates the universality and inclusiveness of this great faith by revealing the human stories that created modern Buddhism whilst interweaving his own personal experiences.
The six key themes examined are:
- The Lotus Sutra – Where did it come from and what is its significance?
- Nichiren – Who was this spiritual innovator and what is his identity?
- Nam-myoho-renge-kyo – How does chanting actually work and can science tell us?
- The Gohonzon – What is the true nature of this devotional object?
- The Soka Gakkai and SGI – Why do we need an organisation to practise Buddhism?
- Daisaku Ikeda – How did Ikeda’s philosophy develop and why is he regarded as a mentor?
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One Simple Idea
- How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life
- By: Mitch Horowitz
- Narrated by: Mitch Horowitz
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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From the millions-strong audiences of Oprah and The Secret to the mass-media ministries of evangelical figures like Joel Osteen and T. D. Jakes, to the motivational bestsellers and New Age seminars to the twelve-step programs and support groups of the recovery movement and to the rise of positive psychology and stress-reduction therapies, this idea - to think positively - is metaphysics morphed into mass belief. This is the biography of that belief.
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Outstanding Popular History of New Thought!
- By Robert Ready on 01-11-14
By: Mitch Horowitz
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Drawing Down the Moon
- Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America
- By: Margot Adler
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 20 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Almost 40 years since its original publication, Drawing Down the Moon continues to be the only detailed history of the burgeoning but still widely misunderstood Neo-Pagan subculture. Margot Adler attended ritual gatherings and interviewed a diverse, colorful gallery of people across the United States, people who find inspiration in ancient deities, nature, myth, even science fiction. In this revised edition, Adler takes a fascinating and honest look at the religious experiences, beliefs, and lifestyles of modern America's Pagan groups.
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Important history lesson but missing elements
- By Waterfall on 09-12-20
By: Margot Adler
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A Concise History of Buddhism
- From 500 BCE-1900 CE
- By: Andrew Skilton
- Narrated by: Jinananda
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Andrew Skilton - Senior Research Fellow in Buddhist Studies, Kings College, London - explains the development of the basic concepts of Buddhism and its spread across the continents during its 2,500 years of history. He begins with a close look at Buddhism in India, where it flourished until the 12th/13th century CE, charting the growth of different schools and practices. By the time it disappeared from its homeland midway through the millennium, it had become established in Central Asia and the Far East in a variety of forms.
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Difficult for the indoctrinated
- By Heavypen on 04-18-18
By: Andrew Skilton
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The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
- A Biography
- By: David Gordon White
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Consisting of fewer than 200 verses written in an obscure if not impenetrable language and style, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is today extolled by the yoga establishment as a perennial classic and guide to yoga practice. As David Gordon White demonstrates in this groundbreaking study, both of these assumptions are incorrect. Virtually forgotten in India for hundreds of years and maligned when it was first discovered in the West, the Yoga Sutra has been elevated to its present iconic status.
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Academic Hubris
- By John on 10-31-14
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Jung
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Anthony Stevens
- Narrated by: Tim Pigott-Smith
- Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins
- Abridged
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Anthony Stevens argues that Jung's visionary powers and profound spirituality have helped many to find an alternative set of values to the arid materialism prevailing Western society.
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Very nice - will not be disappointed
- By Edgar on 12-15-05
By: Anthony Stevens
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Thank God for Evolution
- How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World
- By: Michael Dowd
- Narrated by: Michael Dowd
- Length: 9 hrs
- Abridged
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Here is a revolutionary perspective on the relationship between religion and science that builds a bridge between people of all beliefs.
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Religion without God
- By Paul on 09-22-10
By: Michael Dowd
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The Year of Our Lord 1943
- Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis
- By: Alan Jacobs
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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By early 1943, it had become increasingly clear the Allies would win the Second World War. Christian intellectuals on both sides of the Atlantic thought the soon-to-be-victorious nations were not culturally or morally prepared for their success. These Christian intellectuals - Jacques Maritain, T. S. Eliot, C. S. Lewis, W. H. Auden, and Simone Weil, among others - sought both to articulate a sober and reflective critique of their own culture and to outline a plan for the moral and spiritual regeneration of their countries in the post-war world.
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The Audible is a Train Wreck
- By John on 09-04-18
By: Alan Jacobs
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A Secular Age
- By: Charles Taylor
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 42 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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What does it mean to say that we live in a secular age? Almost everyone would agree that we - in the West, at least - largely do. And clearly the place of religion in our societies has changed profoundly in the last few centuries. In what will be a defining book for our time, Charles Taylor takes up the question of what these changes mean - of what, precisely, happens when a society in which it is virtually impossible not to believe in God becomes one in which faith, even for the staunchest believer, is only one human possibility among others.
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Needs Guest Narrators for French and German
- By Norman on 06-13-15
By: Charles Taylor
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Atheism for Dummies
- By: Dale McGowan PhD
- Narrated by: Paul Mantell
- Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Atheism For Dummies offers a brief history of atheist philosophy and its evolution, explores it as a historical and cultural movement, covers important historical writings on the subject, and discusses the nature of ethics and morality in the absence of religion. A simple, yet intelligent exploration of an often misunderstood philosophy.
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Great topic...irritating narrator
- By Duke Playbent on 10-26-14
By: Dale McGowan PhD
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Finding Truth
- 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes
- By: Nancy Pearcey
- Narrated by: Pamela Klein
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Don't think, just believe?That's the mantra in many circles today - whether the church, the classroom, the campus, or the voting booth. Nancy Pearcey, best-selling and critically acclaimed author, offers fresh tools to break free from presumed certainties and test them against reality.
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A Must Read!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 06-10-16
By: Nancy Pearcey
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50 Self-Help Classics
- By: Tom Butler-Bowdon
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Discover the books that have already changed the lives of millions. This award-winning, unabridged guide to the "literature of possibility" surveys 50 of the all-time classics, giving you their key ideas, insights, and applications, everything you need to know to start benefiting from these legendary works.
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Surprisingly Interesting
- By Cathy on 10-15-06
What listeners say about The Evolving Buddha
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- HippyWitch
- 04-20-24
On my “must read” list
I’m currently seeking out books that will help as I reignite my Buddhist practice and also looking for books to include into my homeschool curriculum for my children.
This book is phenomenal as a really thorough look at all aspects of this practice and opens up every aspect for inspection from a neutral standpoint. I also love his story and his perspective and experience with this practice. It will most definitely be a cornerstone in my evolution as a Buddhist.
Thank you!
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- Beth T.
- 01-24-23
Nicely written
Very informative and precise information. It captures the heart of SGI and it's members.
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- brandy s mays
- 07-10-22
Great Overview
As someone who’s attempt to join SGI USA during the pandemic and is therefore still waiting for full membership and the respect of the Gohonzon, study and increased understanding have been very important in keeping up morale. Reading this book with its international perspective has bern helpful in solidifying my pursuit! Thank you!
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- Vittoria
- 12-02-23
An objective yet inspiring overview of the SGI
I’ve been a member of the SGI for many years, but just as Nichiren himself surmised (“to begin practice is easy; to continue is difficult”) my practice began to wane as challenges to my life circumstances mounted. This book was like having a fellow member sit with me and provide excellent reasons and rationale for taking up my practice again - with more confidence in its efficacy than ever before. HIGHLY recommend!
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- Mike Brown
- 12-15-22
An inspiring look into the SGI
This book is awesome and well read by the narrator. The author takes the time to explain the evolution of the SGI and makes the information very accessible to anyone who is interested. I’d say it’s one of the best books I’ve read on the subject in quite a long time. I’d recommend this to anyone interested in Nichiren Buddhism and or the humanist and universal direction the SGI has taken!
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