first edition
2009 · Oxford
by Rotman, Andy
Oxford: University Press, 2009. First edition, 8vo, pp. ix, [3], 323, [1]; fine copy in a fine dust jacket. "Rotman's analysis is based primarily on stories from the Divyāvadāna (Divine Stories), one of the largest and most important collections of ancient Buddhist stories from India, which have since spread throughout Asia, leaving an indelible mark on Buddhist thought and practice. Though discourses of the Buddha are well known for their opening words, "Thus have I heard" - for Buddhist teachings were first preserved and transmitted orally the Divyāvadāna presents a very different model for promulgating the Buddhist dharma. Devotees are enjoined to (truncated)