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| Wednesday, 4 February 2004 |
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A brief history of Buddhist thought Mul Bududahame sita Vajrayanaya dakva sarala hedinweemak Author : Sanath Nanayakkara Published by the Buddhist Cultural Centre, Nedimala, Dehiwala 2003 156 pp; Rs. 150. Sanath Nanayakkara, whose previous works include an original analysis of the Kalama Sutta, is one of Sri Lanka's foremost Buddhist scholars. After his long career on the editorial staff of the Encyclopedia of Buddhism, he has contributed to Buddhist scholarship with books on various aspects of the field. The present work deals with the development, or evolution, of Buddhist thought from the time of the Buddha up to the emergence of Vajrayana Buddhism. Anyone looking at the history of Buddhism in the early centuries is bound to be struck, even baffled, by the growth of numerous sects and sub-sects. How and why did this happen, in a philosophical system which did not encourage doctrinal polemics? The Buddha's teachings were clear, coherent and elegant; and he found doctrinal hair-splitting to be unproductive. Yet, within a short time of the Buddha's Parinibbana, there were conflicts and schisms, sometimes on what appear to us to be minor disagreements. These led to a bewilderingly wide array of schools, so that writing a clear account of these early developments is a challenging task. The author has responded very well to this challenge, although he modestly states, in the preface, that he did not succeed in writing a good book on the subject. That, I think, is a matter for others to judge. Divisions In fact Sanath Nanayakkara has given the reader a very good account of the early divisions of Buddhism, and how they came into being. In eleven short, clearly-written chapters, he traces this history. After an introduction covering the basic tenets of Buddhism, there is a chapter on the background to the original split. The third chapter deals with the Abhidhamma - its origins and development. The development of the sects is covered in the next. Chapter 5 deals with puggalavada, and the next one is on Sarvastivada. Chapter 7 deals with the Sautrantikas. In the next, the development of Mahayana Buddhism is discussed in some detail. This is followed by a chapter on the Madhyamaka philosophy, with an excellent account of Nagarjuna's works, including several textual citations. The final two chapters are, respectively, on the Yogacara and Vajrayana schools. Vijrayana represents a departure from the previous developments, with its emphasis on the body and sexuality. All in all, this is a fascinating history. The author has succeeded in representing this history clearly, or - to be more precise - as clearly as the developments themselves and the sources allow. He has given a fair and balanced account and evaluation of each of the developments. Explanations are given where needed. Ambiguities are cleared wherever possible. The author's erudition reflected in these pages is impressive. Criticisms There are, inevitably, criticisms to be made. The book lacks an index. It would also have been useful to include a chart showing the schools, sects and schisms and their interrelationships - although I realise that this would be a rather complicated drawing! Finally, there are numerous printing errors, most of them simply irritating but a few inexcusable. These technical shortcomings, however, do not detract from the value of this short and informative work. It gives an excellent account of the early history of Buddhist thought in clear prose, and provides the reader with a sound knowledge base. The references given at the end of each chapter, and the books, both in Sinhala and English, given in the bibliography at the end, will enable the interested reader to explore this fascinating history further. - Padmal de Silva, King's College, University of London. **** Back **** |
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