Preface

The greatest discovery of the Hindu Upanisads is the unity of Atman (self/soul) and Brahman (God)--- "I am Brahman!" (SIP p. 78). While Atman and Brahman are both absolute and eternal, Atman also is of two natures, the ultimate and the empirical. The Maitri Upanisad (SIP p. 95) describes in several entries this empirical aspect of Atman, the "bhutatman [SIP p. 93], the changing or elemental self". At the same time, it gives a general description of the empirical world and of ultimate reality as in the following passage:

1 ) "Now, where knowledge is of a dual nature, there, indeed, one hears, sees, smells, tastes, and also touches; the self knows everything. 2 ) Where knowledge is not of a dual nature, being devoid of action, cause, or effect, unspeakable, incomparable, indescribable---what is that? It is impossible to say!"

Section 1), of course, is a description of the empirical world of the senses, excepting the reference to the all-knowing self.   Section 2) is a description of ultimate reality. The empirical world is the world of causality and change, whereas, the divine is outside of cause and effect, and therefore is, indefinable, incomprehensible and indescribable. The Buddha was familiar with supernatural and metaphysical teachings, but, his world is the world of cause and effect, a world that can be described via language.   This is exactly what he did in the Sutta Pitaka, the Discourses of the Buddha.

And, this is a problem for the non-scholar. Although much of the Tipitaka, the Three Baskets of the Pali Canon, has been translated into English, understanding the nuances of the Buddha's language and its concepts is not an easy task. For an adequate understanding of the subject, it is really necessary for a non-scholar to rely on a commentator he/she feels in tune with.

A scholar I've relied on greatly is David Kalupahana whose books I feel captures the Buddha's intent with a thoroughness few others do.   Among his earliest, A History of Buddhist Philosophy: A Historical Analysis, begins his exploration of Buddhist ideas. Although Dr. Kalupahana is a philosopher and emphasizes the philosophy of Buddhism, a non-philosopher will find his interpretation of Buddhist history and philosophy completely sensible and of great interest.

For those inclined to develop an interest in the Dhamma [teachings], you will find Buddhism is truly "beautiful in its beginning, beautiful in its middle, beautiful in its ending" (Samanaphala Sutta DN i. 63).