Twelve lectures delivered by Professor Malcolm David Eckel of Boston University in which he presents a survey of Buddhism from its origins in India to contemporary times in America. The course introduces the vitality and adaptability of Buddhism which has transformed civilizations in Asia and become a lively component of Western culture.

Compact disc.

lecture 1. Buddhism as a world religion -- lecture 2. The life of the Buddha -- lecture 3. "All is suffering" -- lecture 4. The path to Nirvana -- lecture 5. The Buddhist community -- lecture 6. Mahayana Buddhism --the Bodhisattva ideal -- lecture 7. Celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas -- lecture 8. Emptiness -- lecture 9. Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia -- lecture 10. Buddhism in Tibet -- lecture 11. Buddhism in China -- lecture 12. Buddhism in Japan.