Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices.

Reviewed by Wilhelm Halbfass

Pacific Affairs
Vol.65 No.4 (Winter 1992)
p.546

COPYRIGHT University of British Columbia (Canada) 1992

            THE title of this book has to be taken literally: it is, indeed, an 
            introduction, and primarily intended for classroom use in religious 
            or Asian studies. Among introductory books in the field, it is 
            conspicuous by its unusual breadth. It deals not only with the 
            religious and philosophical concepts and teachings of the Buddha and 
            his followers, but also tries to show how Buddhist practices and 
            attitudes function in their social, cultural and historical setting. 
            In doing so, it refers to the developments of Buddhism from its very 
            beginnings to its modern history and current status in Asia as well 
            as in the West. 
            It would not be appropriate to expect any significant research 
            contribution from a book of this type. Indeed, this book does not 
            try to explore unknown or unclarified materials. Likewise, it does 
            not provide innovative interpretations or a critical assessment of 
            earlier research. Notes are generally absent. The bibliography is 
            almost entirely restricted to works in the English language. Textual 
            references are usually to English translations or anthologies. 
            Considering the purpose and the intended readership of the book, 
            this approach seems to be basically acceptable. The book ought to be 
            judged by its pedagogic qualities. And in this respect, we may say 
            that the materials are presented in a clear and intelligent fashion. 
            There can be no doubt that students should be able to learn a lot 
            from this comprehensive introduction -- not just about Buddhist 
            thought, but about the whole vast phenomenon which we call Buddhism. 
            Nonetheless, and with all due regard to the introductory nature and 
            the pedagogical objectives of the book, a few questions suggest 
            themselves. There is an occasional tendency to present certain 
            opinions and speculative hypotheses as established facts, and to 
            generalize in a somewhat careless manner. It might have been 
            desirable to alert the readers more expressly to unanswered 
            questions, and to the character and status of current research. As 
            indicated earlier, not much attention is paid to contributions in 
            languages other than English. Nobody will expect completeness of 
            information (for instance, in the area of Buddhist philosophy) from 
            an introductory work. However, it is somewhat surprising that two of 
            the greatest and most representative and influential figures in the 
            entire history of Indian and Buddhist thought, Dignaga and 
            Dharmakirti, are not even mentioned.