1-Gospel of Buddha
Paul Carus (Compiler),Olga Kopetzky (Illustrator),Paul Caruf

From Library Journal
First published in 1894, this is the book that first introduced many Westerners to Buddhism; it remains a useful overview of the life and teachings of the Buddha. Carus, an independent philosopher who studied and published on Eastern and Western philosophy, was instrumental in raising Western awareness of Buddhism at the turn of the century.

Book Description

The gospel of Buddha is now close to its centenary. Paul Carus, a distinguished philosopher, applied himself to the self-chosen task of a compilation according to the old Buddhist records and published the GOSPEL in 1894, which has since been reprinted often and translated into other languages. --This text refers to thePaperback edition.

2-The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory
David R. Loy

  Professor Christopher S. Queen,HarvardUniversity, editor of Engaged Buddhism in the West
"In this daring work, Loy exemplifies the rise of socially engaged Buddhism and this new vehicle of spiritual practice."

Book Description
The most essential insight that Buddhism offers is that all our individual suffering arises from three and only three sources: greed, ill-will, and delusion. In The Great Awakening, scholar and Zen teacher David Loy examines how these three qualities, embodied in society’s institutions, lie at the root of all social maladies as well. The teachings of Buddhism present a way that the individual can counteract these destructive influences to alleviate personal sufffering, and in the The Great Awakening Loy boldly examines how these teachings can be applied to institutions and even whole cultures for the alleviation of suffering on a collective level.

This book will help both Buddhists and non-Buddhists to realize the social importance of Buddhist teachings, while providing a theoretical framework for socially engaged members of society to apply their spiritual principles to collective social issues. The Great Awakening shows how Buddhism can help our postmodern world develop liberative possibilities otherwise obscured by the anti-religious bias of so much contemporary social theory.