Perspective

The author of the Foundations of Buddhism is Rupert Gethin, who was Lecturer of Indian Religions in the Department of Theology and Religious Students at the University of Bristol. He was also co-director of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol. For this reason, the reader should regard the author as an expert in the study of Buddhism. As Gethin notes, he has taught Buddhism to students for some time and is quite familiar not only with Buddhist scholarship, but with how to make Buddhism accessible to the lay person.

The views of scholar and teacher characterize the perspective of the Foundations of Buddhism. Gethin is torn between two roles. On the one hand, he aims to explain Buddhism to the uninformed lay person in a way they can understand. On the other, he aims to produce a book that will have some interest to...