The book Mahayana Buddhism is an excellent piece of outstanding work of Dr. Nalinaksha Dutt consisting of detailed and dependable account of various historical events relating to the growth and development of philosophy and doctrines of Buddhism in general and Mahayana in particular propagated and flourished in India and abroad from the reign at the Great Buddhist King Ashoka and upto the 12 century.

The comparison of important and essential aspects of Mahayana and Hinayana with special reference to the advance stages of Arhat and Bodhisattva undertook by the author are quite magnificent and appreciable.


Besides, the concepts of Nirvana, Parinirvana and Buddhahood, the truths and the absolute enshrined in chapter-vi, vii and viii respectively of the book are marvelous and will be helpful to those who are determined to attain the excellence in the stream of Buddhism.


The author has extensively used all the literary, philosophical and epigraphic sources available on the subject and analysed them with all cares and cautions.


The book in most educative/illustrative and highly impressive/useful for students, research scholars, Buddhist devotees and also in national and international libraries for their information and reference purposes.


Mahayana Buddhism, Nalinaksha Dutt, Bhartiya Kala Prakashan, Hardcover, 310 Pages, $32.50

Nalinaksha Dutt (1893�1973), was an Indian scholar of Buddhism, professor of Sanskrit and Pali at the University of Calcutta and chaired The Asiatic Society, among other representative functions, as vice-president of the Maha Bodhi Society. He was also a politician who served as Member of Parliament, representing West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha the upper house of India's Parliament representing the Indian National Congress. He is the author of numerous books on Buddhism.