Buddhism. History, Philosophy, Doctrine, Practice. 16 Lectures for the Magisterium Project

In sixteen lectures of an overview course on religious studies, Sergey Shcherbak provides a comprehensive description of the history, philosophy, doctrine, and psychopractices of Buddhism, from a brief excursion into the spiritual culture of Ancient India with examples from sacred texts and stories about the Ajivikas and Jains (the main "competitors" of early Buddhism) to the later schools and the teachings of Vajrayana. The author seeks to reconstruct the historical grain in the mythologized narratives about the founder of Buddhism - Prince Gautama Shakyamuni, methodically and thoroughly outlining the main tenets of his teachings with the assistance of key texts from the Buddhist canon. Special lectures are devoted to such interesting topics as Buddhist cosmology and the education system.