Theravada Buddhism Insight Knowledge

Theravada Buddhism Insight Knowledge is intended as an 100-page introduction for the new arrival in Thailand — my country of residence for the past ten years — written more with fluency in reading, comprehension and completion in mind than deep provocative original thought supported by academic research. Buddhism is not a religion per se grounded in faith and obedience to a hierarchical structure of unseen supreme entities. Nothing in the Buddhist teachings threatens a non-believer with eternal condemnation while promising the faithful salvation and eternal life if s/he stays on the long and narrow everlasting obstacle course. Buddhism is seen as a teaching to practice helping people through their lives. Buddhists are free to believe what they wish, analyze and disagree with the ‘Blessed One’. Buddhism is tolerant of ‘divergent views’, wherefore ancient animistic spirit worship including the belief in ghosts, and the fear of ghosts, is ever present. Spirit houses are even found on temple grounds. Buddhism is not a scientific revelation, but, as the reader will learn for himself, an elaborate system of classifications of insight knowledge in the abstract based on insights and truths that are neatly placed into an ordering system. ‘Knowledge is truth and can be classified according to right knowledge, or to wrong knowledge and applied in three forms: doctrine, revelation, or personal knowledge, that is, intelligence.’