Buddhist Encounters：Finding a Home in the Human Condition

　　The human condition affects us all。 As we journey through life， we face birth， aging， sickness， and death， each bringing significant challenges。 How can we better understand our human condition? What can we learn from it？

　　In Buddhist Encounters: Finding a Home in the Human Condition， Dr。 Lewis R。 Lancaster explores the essence of our existence， addressing the internal conflicts and external pressures exacerbated by the post-pandemic and AI era。 Through the lens of Buddhist teachings， he seeks answers to these timeless issues， reflecting on the very dilemma that concerned the Buddha himself。
 

Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Preface

Introduction

Part 1  Understanding the Human Condition
1. Human Condition: Earthly and Cosmic
2. Human Condition

Part 2  Learning from the Four Great Messengers
3. The Persistent Message of Illness
4. The Future of Old Age
5. Death: The Last Moment of a Human
6. Learning to Respond to the Human Condition

Part 3  Living with Reality
7. Cause
8. Emptiness: Not Nothing
9. Behavior: Acts of Consequence
10. Personal Self

Part 4  Confronting Challenges
11. Desire
12. Racism
13. Buddhism in the Time of COVID

Part 5  Journeying Toward Enlightenment
14. Enlightenment: A Distant Beacon
15. Reincarnation
16. Detachment
17. Compassion

Conclusion

Appendices
●    How a Buddhism Teacher Deals With His Own Pain
●    Surprising Ways of Dealing with Adversity and Hopelessness
●    On Personal Life, Academic Journey, and Research

 

作者簡介



Lewis R. Lancaster

　　●    Emeritus Professor, Department of East Asian Languages, University of California, Berkeley, USA
　　●    Emeritus Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of the West (UWest)
　　●    Member of the Board of Directors, Nan Tien Institute, Australia
　　●    Founder and Former Director, the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI)
　　●    President of UWest, 2004–2006

　　A pioneer in the digitization of Buddhist texts, which has become an essential practice in contemporary Buddhist scholarship. Over his illustrious six-decade career, he has published over 75 research articles and reviews, and authored or edited numerous books on Buddhism, including Prajnaparamita and Related Systems, The Korean Buddhist Canon, Buddhist Scriptures, Early Ch’an in China and Tibet, and Assimilation of Buddhism in Korea. His significant contributions include the creation of a descriptive catalog and digitization of the Korean Buddhist Canon, for which he received the Jogye Order’s Grand Award in 2014.