Buddhist Publication Society

The Buddhist Publication Society is a charity whose goal is to explain and spread the doctrine of the Buddha. It was founded in Sri Lanka in 1958 by two Sri Lankan Buddhist laymen, A.S. Karunaratna and Richard Abeyasekera, and a European-born Buddhist monk, Nyanaponika Thera. Originally conceived as a limited effort to publish small, affordable books on fundamental Buddhist topics, the Society expanded its scope in response to the reception of their early publishing efforts. Reflecting its Sri Lankan roots, the Buddhist Publication society's publications reflect the perspective of the Theravada branch of Buddhism, drawing heavily from the Pali Canon for source material.

The BPS regularly supplies Buddhist literature to over 3,000 subscriber members all over the world, in some eighty countries. Its titles have been translated into many other languages, including German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Hindi, and Chinese.

The Buddhist Publication Society publishes a variety of works, in both English and Sinhala, ranging from introductory works to translations of technical philosophical texts. The Society publishes works by a number of noted Theravada monks and lay writers, including books by Nyanaponika Thera, Nyanatiloka Thera, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Piyadassi Thera, Bhikkhu Ñanamoli, Narada Mahathera, Mahasi Sayadaw, Helmuth Hecker, S. Dhammika and Francis Story.

From the BPS's inception to 1984 Ven. Nyanaponika Thera was the BPS's English editor. From 1984 until 2002 Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi was the editor. Since 2005 Ven. Bhikkhu Nyanatusita is the editor.

The BPS’s English-language publications fall into three classes: two series of booklets called The Wheel and Bodhi Leaves, and full-size books.

The Wheel consists of booklets issued in a format 4.8 x 7.2 inches, typically ranging from 40 to 80 pages. Since the inception of BPS in 1958 about 250 titles have been published, though not all have been maintained in print. The booklets cover a wide range of topics and can be categorized as: Introductory Booklets; Specific Teachings (on the main topics of Buddhist doctrine, such as the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, dependent origination, the three marks of existence, kamma and rebirth, and so forth); Meditation and Mind Training; Dhamma Reflections (more personal explorations of the relevance of Buddhist principles for spiritual understanding and practice); Philosophy and Psychology; Faith and Devotion; Monastic Life; Comparative Studies; Buddhist History and Culture; Buddhism and the World Today; Translations from the Pali Canon; Non-Canonical Buddhist Literature. All Wheel Publications have been digitalised and are being reissued in bound volumes as well as put on the BPS website.

...
Wikipedia