Desire, Death and Goodness

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In this provocative study of a very early Buddhist text (the Atthakavagga) and two Theravada commentaries on it, Grace G. Burford highlights the significant differences between the Atthakavagga teaching concerning the ideal goal and the orthodox Theravada understanding of that summum bonum. Guiding the reader through a careful examination of these texts, Dr. Burford argues that - in contrast to the consistent and coherent value system of the Atthakavagga - the normative Theravada value system is split by the inclusion of metaphysical factors in the description of the ultimate goal.

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Grace G. Burford

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Buddhism Conflict Death Desire Goodness Theravada Ultimate Values

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«Prof. Grace Burford's study of the soteriology of the 'Atthakavagga', considered to be the earliest Buddhist text, is a provocative work that will force the field of Pali Buddhist Studies to reconsider many of its most sacrosanct shibboleths. She makes the intriguing argument that escape from the round of birth and death (samsara) was not in fact the original goal of Buddhist soteriology; rather, that goal was instead an idealized way of living in the world: viz, in a state of purity (suddhi) and calmness (santi). Buddhist scholars will find interesting resonances here with later Mahayana notions of nirvana as an immanent, rather than transcendent, state. Burford's argument is sure to be controversial, but her views are always grounded in close philological analysis of the original Pali texts and deserve the careful attention of all Buddhist scholars.» (Robert Buswell, UCLA)
«This is an exciting book for those of us interested in Theravada Buddhism. Grace C. Burford challenges several longstanding assumptions that have been operative in the field: that the Theravada tradition has a consistent teaching about the ideal goal and the path to it; that there is a textual homogeneity that warrants the use of commentarial interpretations of early texts to be used as interpretive standards; and that the role of scholars of Buddhist studies needs to be kept separate from that of Buddhist believer-practitioners. ... There is a boldness to these arguments that I find refreshing and provocative. The book raises important issues, and it is in that spirit that I wish to raise several more.» (James W. Boyd, The Journal of Asian Studies)
«Burford provides in this challenging book a very close, philologically-informed reading of the 'Atthakavagga' portions of the 'Sutta nipata', a text which is probably one of the earliest examples of Pali literature that we have.» (Charles Hallisey, Religious Studies Review)

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