Malcolm David Eckel takes us on a contemporary quest to discover the essential meaning behind the Buddha's many representations. Eckel's bold thesis proposes that the proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy must be thoroughly religious - an understanding revealed in Eckel's new translation of the philosopher Bhavaviveka's major work, The Flame of Reason. Eckel shows that the dimensions of early Indian Buddhism - popular art, conventional piety, and critical philosophy - all work together to express the same religious yearning for the fullness of emptiness that Buddha conveys.
