Early Buddhism and Christianity

This book is a study of the first 100 years of the Buddhist institution. The author has focused on the history of Buddhism in its application to monastic communities as well as lay people. This dispels the myth that Buddhism is a philosophical system that focuses solely on a single quest for nirvana. There are many books on the market that focus on the doctrine of Buddhism, but few that address the fundamental factors that made it popular, such as the authority of its founder, the nature and discipline of the monastic and lay communities. These are also highlighted in the concluding section, where they are compared to parallel developments during the same period of Christianity. This new approach is especially useful for students of history, Asian studies, and religious studies. The book includes Bibliography and Index.