The Journal of the American Oriental Society
Vol.112 No.4
Oct-Dec 1992
Pp.665-666 Copyright by American Oriental Society
In proposing to write a new introductory text on Buddhism, an author sets a difficult task. The vastness of the topic demands radical selection both in content and in method; heuristic considerations constrain ideal intentions; pedagogical objectivity taxes personal limitations of specialized competence and interest. A partial inventory of types of actual and potential introductions might include: conventional chronologically or geographically organized surveys of important names and dates; a doctrinal survey that presents supposed core teachings, emphasizing possibly early Buddhism, select later traditions or schools, or select individual teachers; annotated selections from essential Buddhist canonical scriptures or from other Buddhist texts, again emphasizing one or another sect, school, or teacher; thematically organized surveys that detail aspects of doctrine, practice, or communal and lay life and organization without special regard to historical period or cultural context; attempts to capture the "essence" of Buddhist doctrine, worldview, practice, or life--again without regard to historical period or cultural context; biographical accounts; social or political histories; anthropological studies of the Buddhism of a particular area; presentations of Buddhist teaching and practice via art-historical, ethnomusicological, or literary materials. Choosing a "best introduction" thus appears as unreasonable as deciding what is best (or essential) in Buddhism; ultimately individual taste and experience will determine which type or combination of types is preferable or better suited to a given audience. Accordingly, the thirteen chapters comprising Peter Harvey's An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices reflect his own response to these confining demands as he attempts to accommodate the diverse aspects and expanse of Buddhism. The first four chapters are an exposition of the main events and doctrines of early Buddhism, largely as presented in the Pali canon. Harvey clearly judges this material as, for the most part, representing the teaching of the Buddha himself, and therefore, of primary importance. Thus, numerous technical terms are cited here in Pali, and unlike most of the rest of the work, which is footnoteless in textbook style, there are frequent scriptural references embedded in the text. The fifth and sixth chapters deal with Mahayana: chapter five reviews Mahayana "philosophy," particularly Madhyamaka and Yogacara; and chapter six treats Mahayana "holy beings," including the doctrine of the Buddha and Bodhisattva practice as well as "heavenly" Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The seventh chapter treats the later history and expansion of Buddhism, in Tibet, in Central, East, and Southeast Asia, though unfortunately much more briefly and with still fewer textual references than the preceding section on early Indian Buddhism. Differing from many expository introductions, Harvey extensively covers Buddhist practice in chapters eight through eleven. In contrast to the more historical narration of the preceding chapters, these chapters adopt a decidedly present tense, even where citing classical sources. Perhaps in order to underscore the actuality of practice in contemporary Buddhism or to assert certain shared features of practice assumed to characterize Buddhist religious life in all times and all cultures, chapters eight, nine, and ten on devotion, ethics, and the sangha, are arranged in common topical subsections, rather than separately by historical period or tradition. The eleventh chapter on meditation, though again focusing on an assumed common feature of practice, adopts an organization by tradition, such as Southern, Zen, etc. Harvey concludes his introductory text with a twelfth chapter on Buddhism in contemporary Asia and a thirteenth chapter on Buddhism beyond Asia, touching on both scholarship (briefly) and religious groups. The volume is also furnished with a guide to the pronunciation of Pali and Sanskrit, with some maps, figures, plates and tables, and with a topically arranged bibliography and both a concept and a name index. Quite naturally, scholars when first perusing an introductory text might especially check the treatment given their own areas of interest. Encouragingly, the Sarvastivadins are found to be covered in about a page. However, reservations arise when reading that a council, precipitated by doctrinal disagreements, was held under Kaniska in A.D. 100, a council that eventually produced the Mahavibhasa--from a strict historical point of view, certainly a problematic legend. Similarly, one cannot assert unequivocally that Vasubandhu wrote the Abhidharmakosabhasya from a Sautrantika perspective. But these are the kinds of problems and quibbles lurking in profusion under the surface in any introductory text, which is artificially smooth by virtue of the inevitable pedagogical perspective of harmonious generalization. On this and all other matters of historical and textual detail, it is important to note that Harvey's intent and tone are certainly not critical-historical, but animated by a genuine enthusiasm and pietistic respect for his subject matter. Whether lecturers will find in this or any volume the ideal introductory course text is a matter of preference and circumstantial needs; its commendable virtues, however, merit its being so considered.