The ATLA Religion Database is a comprehensive database designed to support religious and theological scholarship in graduate education and faculty research. The file contains citations from international titles and 13,000 multi-author works in and related to the field of religion. It also includes a full range of index citations to journal articles, essays in multi-author works, book reviews, and Doctor of Ministry projects from ATLA's print indexes: Religion Index One (RIO), Religion Index Two (RIT), and Index to Book Reviews in Religion (IBRR). Though coverage is from 1949 to the present, not all publications began in 1949.
This on-line version of the Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS) contains 787,165 records on all subjects (especially in the humanities and the social sciences) pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia published worldwide from 1971 to the present... In addition to entries compiled since 1997, the online BAS includes the full data of all of the printed volumes of the BAS issued from the 1971 up to the 1991 volumes (published in 1997)... Through the 1991 printed volume, the BAS included citations to Western-language periodical articles, monographs, chapters in edited volumes, conference proceedings, anthologies, and Festschriften, etc. Monographs published since 1992, however, have not been added to the database, and users seeking such monographs are urged to consult other general resources and databases such as WorldCat..
Call Number: 294.382 ONLINE
Publication Date: 2013
Brief entries. No bibliographies. Includes an outline of Asian historical periods, a chronology, and entry cross references by Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Pali, Sanskrit, and Tibetan language renderings.
Call Number: 294.382 ONLINE
Publication Date: 2005
Online version of the 2 volume original. Signed entries with bibliographies. Bibliographies not annotated.
Useful for finding general background information on people and texts in Buddhism
This volume provides a unique introduction to Buddhism by examining categories essential for a nuanced understanding of its traditions. Each of the fifteen essays here shows students how a fundamental term-from art to word-illuminates the practice of Buddhism, both in traditional Buddhist societies and in the realms of modernity. Apart from Buddha, the list of terms in this collection deliberately includes none that are intrinsic to the religion. Instead, the contributors explore terms that are important for many fields and that invite interdisciplinary reflection. Through incisive discussions of topics ranging from practice, power, and pedagogy to ritual, history, sex, and death, the authors offer new directions for the understanding of Buddhism, taking constructive and sometimes polemical positions in an effort both to demonstrate the shortcomings of assumptions about the religion and the potential power of revisionary approaches.
Online or at HPNL
General Resources (Print)
Brill's Encyclopedia of Buddhism (6 Vols) by Jonathan Silk (Managing editor); Oskar von Hinüber (Consultant Editor); Vincent Eltschinger (Consultant Editor)
A very large and very useful encyclopedia of Buddhism. Good for getting started on your research. Especially useful for research on the Buddhist canon and other non-canonical literature.
Buddhist Text Translation Society's Buddhism A to Z by Ronald B. Epstein (Compiled by)
In this volume, full definitions of hundreds of the terms, names, lists, and concepts most frequently encountered in reading Buddhist scriptures are listed in dictionary format and explained in plain English. With the definitions, references are given to translations of Buddhist scriptures published by the Buddhist Text Translation Society.
This new dictionary, written by Dr Damien Keown, covers both historical and contemporary issues in Buddhism, and includes all Buddhist schools and cultures. Over 2,000 broad-ranging entries cover beliefs, doctrines, major teachers and scholars, place names, and artefacts, in a clear and concise style. The text is illustrated with line drawings of religious structures, iconographic forms and gestures, and ritual objects. Appendices include a chronology and a guide to canonical scriptures as well as a pronunciation guide for difficult names and terms.
Books to Get Started
Buddhism: a Very Short Introduction by Damien Keown
Call Number: BQ4022 .K46 2013
ISBN: 9780199663835
Publication Date: 2013-04-06
Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction introduces the reader to the teachings of the Buddha and to the workings of Buddhism in daily life.
Buddhist Scriptures by Donald S. Lopez (Editor); Donald S. Lopez (Editor)
Call Number: BQ1012 .B836 2004
ISBN: 9780140447583
Publication Date: 2004-08-31
A rich selection of Buddhist writings, representing the full range of historical periods, geographical origins and literary styles. There are tales of the Buddha's past lives, a discussion of the qualities and qualifications of a monk, and an exploration of the many meanings of Enlightenment. Together they provide a vivid picture of the Buddha and of the vast nature of the Buddhist tradition.
The volume includes detailed references to scriptures and secondary literature, an updated bibliography and a section on web resources. Key terms are given in Pali and Sanskrit, and Tibetan words are transliterated in the most easily pronounceable form, making this is a truly accessible account. This is an ideal coursebook for students of religion, Asian philosophy and Asian studies, and is also a useful reference for readers wanting an overview of Buddhism and its beliefs.