Bones, Stone and Buddhist Monks: Collected Papers on the Archaeology, Epigraphy, and Texts of Monastic Buddhism in India

Reviewed by John Clifford Holt

 TThe Journal of Religion

 VVol.78 No.3

 JJuly 1998

 PPp.486-487

 CCopyright by University of Chicago


 
 

            Schopen, Gregory. Bones, Stone and Buddhist Monks: Collected Papers              on the Archaeology, Epigraphy, and Texts of Monastic Buddhism in              India. Studies in the Buddhist Tradition. Honolulu: University of             Hawaii Press, 1997. xvii+298 pp. $58.00 (cloth); $31.95 (paper).             This book is not an easy read. In the first place, since it is a              collection of twelve scholarly articles previously published in              journals devoted to the study of various aspects of Asian religious              cultures, it is not a tightly woven single piece. It was not              intended to be. Although related issues do arise repeatedly              throughout the essays (how death was handled predominates), targets              of Gregory Schopen's criticisms are constantly shifting and thus the              particularity of each essay requires a corresponding effort on the              part of the reader to reorient. Second, many sections of these              articles, sections accompanied by detailed footnoting (such that              some footnotes contain "subplots" or fine bibliographic essays on              their own), are further ladened with copious references to finer and              often quite technical points of epigraphic and philological              significance. Though these are often necessary for Schopen to              buttress his major contentions, readers can be easily saturated.              Third, and most importantly, if Shopen is right, and most of his              arguments appear to be quite convincing indeed, then many              generalizations about the religious life of Indian Buddhist              monasticism set forth by some of the major players in the history of              Buddhist studies, generalizations frequently preserved, distilled,              or recapitulated in the most accessible and standard presentations              of Buddhism (what Schopen calls the "received tradition" of Buddhist              studies), need a very serious revisioning. This may prove unsettling              to some, especially those who have grown comfortable with this              "received tradition." In short, while a difficult read for a number              of reasons, no serious scholar of Buddhist studies can afford              (despite the relatively expensive price) to ignore this              argumentative, challenging, and provocative set of essays.              There is a clear pattern found in most of Schopen's articles. He              begins by noting a general assertion advanced by major scholars,              past and present, in the field of Buddhist studies (for instance,              Heinz Bechert, Richard Gombrich, Andre Bareau, J. W. de Jong,              Etienne Lamotte, Louis de la Vallee Poussin, Sylvain Levy, T. W.              Rhys Davids, or Hermann Oldenberg) and proceeds to undermine their              claims by appealing to archaeological and epigraphic evidence,              evidence that, all too often in the past, he argues, has been              ignored largely due to the propensity of most scholars to focus              explanations and interpretations almost exclusively on texts              produced by a monastic elite. Throughout these essays, Schopen often              warns against the theoretical disposition in which "textuality              overrides actuality" while doctrine, especially in its most abstract              forms of buddhological expression, is privileged over a              consideration of everyday practice. Schopen is also concerned that              too many scholars in the past have too easily assumed that the              Buddhist monastic religious life idealized in a selected genre of              sacred texts can be regarded as evidence for the manner in which              Buddhists historically constructed their worlds of meaning and their              disciplines of practice. He also demonstrates how some have assumed,              unwittingly or naively, that the ideal religious life of Indian              monasticism somehow reflects the types of religiosity (generally              Protestant) congenial to their own idealistic religious imaginations              (the Buddha imagined as a "Victorian gentleman," for instance).              While these are some of the theoretical and methodological issues              addressed throughout these essays, here are some of the important              substantive general assertions about Indian Buddhist monasticism              that Schopen is at great pains to refute: that filial piety only              became an important dimension of Buddhist monasticism once the              tradition had migrated to East Asia and the Chinese had              "transformed" Buddhism; that Buddhist monks played virtually no              roles in the ritual life of the laity or in relation to life-cycle              rites, monastic and lay; that monks did not participate in the cult              of the stupa; that the laity (and not monks and nuns) were the              exclusive or primary donors of images or monastic buildings; that              the cultic understanding of relics does not include an understanding              of a Buddha who continues to live as a real presence; and that most              popular monastic practices were the result of an elite strata of              monks caving in to pressures exerted by the "vulgar" orientation of              the less sophisticated. There are many other issues at stake as              well, tot) many to note for this brief review.              Readers should note, as indicated at the beginning of each chapter,              where Schopen originally chose to publish his essays. His selection              was always judicious and readers can thus determine his particular              intentions in relation to his audience. In each case, Schopen's              arguments are refreshing, honest, often brilliant, and always              cogently presented. The clarity and scope of his conclusions are              especially well drawn. The editor of this series promises that a              second set of Schopen's collected essays, these concerned with the              rise of Mahayana, is in the pipeline. Very good news!