The Buddhist Forum, Vol. I: Semnar Papers 1987-1988 by Tadeusz SkorupskiReview by: Collet CoxJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 113, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 1993), pp. 510-511Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/605431 .

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Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (1993) Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (1993) Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (1993)

"Firing Line" but is not printed here. The contents are thus quite varied in character; the choice of the Bodhisattva rather than the Buddha gives the discussion added interest. Both the contribu- tion by Eckel and the introduction do a fine job of articulating various models for representing the relationship between these two traditions. Because the core essays are largely tradition-

specific, the volume accentuates divergences and avoids su-

perficial complementarianism. A salutary dose of complexity is evident, as is the acknowledged need for further analysis of sub- stantial differences on fundamental issues. In this respect the volume is successful, documenting a significant stage in the Buddhist-Christian dialogue, as the great variety of belief and

practice within each tradition emerges to dampen any hasty judgments about wholesale similarities or divergences.

J. P. K.

Women in World Religions. Edited by ARVIND SHARMA. Al-

bany: STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS, 1987. Pp. xii + 302. $34.50 (cloth); $10.95 (paper).

This volume is a collection of papers on the subject of women in the major world religious traditions-Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-with some attention also to tribal religion, specifically that of the Australian aborigines. Their distinguishing aspect is the fact that all are by women (though, oddly, the general editor

provides un petit soupcon of patriarchy). And this is no acci- dental feature. As Katherine Young states (p. 2):

"Firing Line" but is not printed here. The contents are thus quite varied in character; the choice of the Bodhisattva rather than the Buddha gives the discussion added interest. Both the contribu- tion by Eckel and the introduction do a fine job of articulating various models for representing the relationship between these two traditions. Because the core essays are largely tradition-

specific, the volume accentuates divergences and avoids su-

perficial complementarianism. A salutary dose of complexity is evident, as is the acknowledged need for further analysis of sub- stantial differences on fundamental issues. In this respect the volume is successful, documenting a significant stage in the Buddhist-Christian dialogue, as the great variety of belief and

practice within each tradition emerges to dampen any hasty judgments about wholesale similarities or divergences.

J. P. K.

Women in World Religions. Edited by ARVIND SHARMA. Al-

bany: STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS, 1987. Pp. xii + 302. $34.50 (cloth); $10.95 (paper).

This volume is a collection of papers on the subject of women in the major world religious traditions-Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-with some attention also to tribal religion, specifically that of the Australian aborigines. Their distinguishing aspect is the fact that all are by women (though, oddly, the general editor

provides un petit soupcon of patriarchy). And this is no acci- dental feature. As Katherine Young states (p. 2):

"Firing Line" but is not printed here. The contents are thus quite varied in character; the choice of the Bodhisattva rather than the Buddha gives the discussion added interest. Both the contribu- tion by Eckel and the introduction do a fine job of articulating various models for representing the relationship between these two traditions. Because the core essays are largely tradition-

specific, the volume accentuates divergences and avoids su-

perficial complementarianism. A salutary dose of complexity is evident, as is the acknowledged need for further analysis of sub- stantial differences on fundamental issues. In this respect the volume is successful, documenting a significant stage in the Buddhist-Christian dialogue, as the great variety of belief and

practice within each tradition emerges to dampen any hasty judgments about wholesale similarities or divergences.

J. P. K.

Women in World Religions. Edited by ARVIND SHARMA. Al-

bany: STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS, 1987. Pp. xii + 302. $34.50 (cloth); $10.95 (paper).

This volume is a collection of papers on the subject of women in the major world religious traditions-Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-with some attention also to tribal religion, specifically that of the Australian aborigines. Their distinguishing aspect is the fact that all are by women (though, oddly, the general editor

provides un petit soupcon of patriarchy). And this is no acci- dental feature. As Katherine Young states (p. 2):

As is well known, one of the basic breakthroughs in the method of the study of religion is represented by the

creatively ambiguous expression: the phenomenology of religion. Among other things, this method empha- sizes a sympathetic but not submissive attitude towards the insider's view. It has hitherto been confined to the

study of individual religions. This book extends this method to the study of women in the world religions by inviting contributions from women scholars who start not only with an attempt to appreciate the religion from within its own framework but also begin from within their own feminine perspective and so may have a good perception of what a woman's experience entails.

It is suggested that because there have been so few studies of women by women, "we cannot avoid the androcentric text which muffles our stethoscope and prevents us from hearing the heartbeats of real women" (p. 3).

As is well known, one of the basic breakthroughs in the method of the study of religion is represented by the

creatively ambiguous expression: the phenomenology of religion. Among other things, this method empha- sizes a sympathetic but not submissive attitude towards the insider's view. It has hitherto been confined to the

study of individual religions. This book extends this method to the study of women in the world religions by inviting contributions from women scholars who start not only with an attempt to appreciate the religion from within its own framework but also begin from within their own feminine perspective and so may have a good perception of what a woman's experience entails.

It is suggested that because there have been so few studies of women by women, "we cannot avoid the androcentric text which muffles our stethoscope and prevents us from hearing the heartbeats of real women" (p. 3).

As is well known, one of the basic breakthroughs in the method of the study of religion is represented by the

creatively ambiguous expression: the phenomenology of religion. Among other things, this method empha- sizes a sympathetic but not submissive attitude towards the insider's view. It has hitherto been confined to the

study of individual religions. This book extends this method to the study of women in the world religions by inviting contributions from women scholars who start not only with an attempt to appreciate the religion from within its own framework but also begin from within their own feminine perspective and so may have a good perception of what a woman's experience entails.

It is suggested that because there have been so few studies of women by women, "we cannot avoid the androcentric text which muffles our stethoscope and prevents us from hearing the heartbeats of real women" (p. 3).

There is much here that invites critical scrutiny. Besides the

specific notion of phenomenology of religion invoked, which one gathers is significantly different from the Weberian verste- hen, there is added the notion of privileged access. Women have an advantage in the interpretation of women's experi- ence, however distant in religious affiliation, class, etc., from themselves, by virtue of being women. The problem of meth-

odological particularism looms: can only members of a par- ticular group interpret the actions of that group? Are they the most authentic, or the sole interpreters? How is the boundary of affiliation to be established? Is the spiritual life of a lower- caste Hindu woman better understood by a Western middle- class academic woman than by potential male interpreters, even those with closer points of cultural and class affiliation-

e.g., a Hindu male of lower-caste origin? The problem is an

interesting one, generalizable to religious studies as a whole, although it is never fully addressed here. This is a pity, since

clarifying the methodological foundations of feminist studies in religion remains a critical desideratum. In this respect the recent collection of essays edited by Bynum, Harrell, and Richman is much more illuminating (Gender and Religion: On the Complexity of Symbols [Boston: Beacon Press, 1986]). But here we have only a series of rather general discussions, covering entire traditions and their histories, in the broad strokes necessitated by limitations of space (20-40 pp.). Scholarly documentation is alarmingly sparse; one essay on a

major tradition has only four supporting citations. Both expert and novice are thus hobbled in their use of this volume. The collection is at least a modest start in the study of women in world religions, especially in those cases where that project is

comparatively recent.

J. P. K.

There is much here that invites critical scrutiny. Besides the

specific notion of phenomenology of religion invoked, which one gathers is significantly different from the Weberian verste- hen, there is added the notion of privileged access. Women have an advantage in the interpretation of women's experi- ence, however distant in religious affiliation, class, etc., from themselves, by virtue of being women. The problem of meth-

odological particularism looms: can only members of a par- ticular group interpret the actions of that group? Are they the most authentic, or the sole interpreters? How is the boundary of affiliation to be established? Is the spiritual life of a lower- caste Hindu woman better understood by a Western middle- class academic woman than by potential male interpreters, even those with closer points of cultural and class affiliation-

e.g., a Hindu male of lower-caste origin? The problem is an

interesting one, generalizable to religious studies as a whole, although it is never fully addressed here. This is a pity, since

clarifying the methodological foundations of feminist studies in religion remains a critical desideratum. In this respect the recent collection of essays edited by Bynum, Harrell, and Richman is much more illuminating (Gender and Religion: On the Complexity of Symbols [Boston: Beacon Press, 1986]). But here we have only a series of rather general discussions, covering entire traditions and their histories, in the broad strokes necessitated by limitations of space (20-40 pp.). Scholarly documentation is alarmingly sparse; one essay on a

major tradition has only four supporting citations. Both expert and novice are thus hobbled in their use of this volume. The collection is at least a modest start in the study of women in world religions, especially in those cases where that project is

comparatively recent.

J. P. K.

There is much here that invites critical scrutiny. Besides the

specific notion of phenomenology of religion invoked, which one gathers is significantly different from the Weberian verste- hen, there is added the notion of privileged access. Women have an advantage in the interpretation of women's experi- ence, however distant in religious affiliation, class, etc., from themselves, by virtue of being women. The problem of meth-

odological particularism looms: can only members of a par- ticular group interpret the actions of that group? Are they the most authentic, or the sole interpreters? How is the boundary of affiliation to be established? Is the spiritual life of a lower- caste Hindu woman better understood by a Western middle- class academic woman than by potential male interpreters, even those with closer points of cultural and class affiliation-

e.g., a Hindu male of lower-caste origin? The problem is an

interesting one, generalizable to religious studies as a whole, although it is never fully addressed here. This is a pity, since

clarifying the methodological foundations of feminist studies in religion remains a critical desideratum. In this respect the recent collection of essays edited by Bynum, Harrell, and Richman is much more illuminating (Gender and Religion: On the Complexity of Symbols [Boston: Beacon Press, 1986]). But here we have only a series of rather general discussions, covering entire traditions and their histories, in the broad strokes necessitated by limitations of space (20-40 pp.). Scholarly documentation is alarmingly sparse; one essay on a

major tradition has only four supporting citations. Both expert and novice are thus hobbled in their use of this volume. The collection is at least a modest start in the study of women in world religions, especially in those cases where that project is

comparatively recent.

J. P. K.

The Buddhist Forum, vol. I: Semnar Papers 1987-1988. Edited by TADEUSZ SKORUPSKI. London: SCHOOL OF ORIEN- TAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, 1990.

Pp. 121.

The essays collected in this volume are based on papers given during the 1987-1988 academic year in a seminar series at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. The series, entitled "The Buddhist Forum," was not organized in accordance with a single theme, but encom- passed various aspects of Buddhism and was intended to "pro- vide a forum for the presentation of new research and for the exchange of opinions and ideas."

The Buddhist Forum, vol. I: Semnar Papers 1987-1988. Edited by TADEUSZ SKORUPSKI. London: SCHOOL OF ORIEN- TAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, 1990.

Pp. 121.

The essays collected in this volume are based on papers given during the 1987-1988 academic year in a seminar series at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. The series, entitled "The Buddhist Forum," was not organized in accordance with a single theme, but encom- passed various aspects of Buddhism and was intended to "pro- vide a forum for the presentation of new research and for the exchange of opinions and ideas."

The Buddhist Forum, vol. I: Semnar Papers 1987-1988. Edited by TADEUSZ SKORUPSKI. London: SCHOOL OF ORIEN- TAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, 1990.

Pp. 121.

The essays collected in this volume are based on papers given during the 1987-1988 academic year in a seminar series at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. The series, entitled "The Buddhist Forum," was not organized in accordance with a single theme, but encom- passed various aspects of Buddhism and was intended to "pro- vide a forum for the presentation of new research and for the exchange of opinions and ideas."

510 510 510

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Brief Reviews of Books

In "Recovering the Buddha's Message," R. F. Gombrich discusses the historical and intellectual context in which the earliest Buddhist scriptures, assumed to reflect the teaching of the Buddha himself, are to be read. He first briefly reviews certain methods by which it has been suggested that chrono-

logical layers can be discerned within texts: for example, sty- listic criteria or inconsistencies in argument. As a general guide to interpretation, Gombrich supports analogous applica- tion of the textual principle of "difficilior potior" to the Bud- dhist teaching and argues that the tendency of later tradition would be to eliminate contradictions and inconsistencies that are thus more likely to derive from the Buddha himself. Fur- ther, assuming that the earliest teaching was based on direct

mystical experience, Gombrich suggests that its linguistic ex-

pression would accordingly be multifaceted, given its attempt to describe in a variety of modes something not amenable to univocal discursive expression. Finally, Gombrich argues, with examples, for a closer reading of the Buddhist texts in a

Vedic, brahmanical context; as objects of jokes or puns, or as foils for arguments, many Buddhist passages require knowl-

edge of this context to be fully intelligible. In another contribution, "How the Mahayana Began," Gom-

brich offers a novel perspective on the long-discussed and still

murky origins of Mahayana. The decisive event leading to the

emergence of Mahayana, according to Gombrich, is the intro- duction of writing and the emergence of written texts. This enabled dissenting or heretical ideas to be preserved indepen- dent of what he sees as the inherent tendency of collective oral transmission toward status-quo standardization. Gom- brich finds a confirming echo of this pivotal event in the pre- dilection of Mahayana texts to celebrate their own worship in written form.

In "Pali Philology and the Study of Buddhism," K. R. Nor- man argues for the pressing need for more philological work on Buddhist scriptures. Concisely and with well-chosen ex-

amples, he underscores that errors and ambiguities mar the

reading of most published texts of Pali Buddhist scriptures. The textual deficiencies of Pfli texts, and by extension other branches of the Buddhist tradition, Norman argues, cannot be

ignored as trivial by scholars intent on larger doctrinal issues. Unless basic work is undertaken to produce sounder texts, in-

terpretative arguments built on a porous textual foundation will ultimately founder.

In a relatively longer essay, "How Buddhist is Theravada Buddhist Law? A Survey of Legal Literature in Pali-Land," A. Huxley undertakes to examine comparatively the develop- ment of "Buddhist secular law" in the "predecessor king- doms" to modern Burma, Laos, Kampuchea, and Thailand (for which Huxley coins the neologism "Pali-land") in the period from 1044 to 1893 A.D. After a lengthy and detailed historical survey of the various genres of legal literature in each of the three regions, Huxley turns to a discussion of common under-

lying legal concepts in secular law of the Pali-land as a whole, and more briefly to the various Buddhist social contexts influ-

encing the development of law in each subregion. In his con- clusion, Huxley includes developments in Sri Lanka to throw further into relief the conditions that led to divergent and indi- vidual expressions of legal tradition in each culture.

In his contribution, "Kill the Patriarchs," T. H. Barrett in-

vestigates the emergence of the notion of spiritual lineages in the Ch'an Buddhism of seventh-century China. After a short

survey of recent Western and Japanese studies examining the historical background and context of the notion of authorita- tive tradition in China at that time, Barrett offers his own

perspective focusing on the crisis of authority in Chinese Buddhism provoked by the new translations of the returned

pilgrim Hsuan-tsang. One response to this crisis, Barrett sug- gests, was the assertion of the notion of an already established

lineage of authoritative patriarchs, in the case of Ch'an, ex-

tending unbroken back through the key figure, Bodhidharma, to shadowy origins in India.

In a second essay, "Exploratory Observations on Some

Weeping Pilgrims," Barrett examines certain underlying, par- ticularly Chinese, modes of intellectual and affective percep- tion that shaped the experiences of medieval Chinese pilgrims to India-Fa-hsien, Hsiian-Tsang, and I-ching-and formal- ized the literary record of their journeys. Much of the unique character and interest of their experiences Barrett sees as

springing from the contrasting and conflicting interaction of Chinese sensibility and Indian Buddhist belief heightened by the rare event of actual pilgrimage to India.

In the final essay of this collection, "Images and Permuta- tions of Vajrasattva in the Vajradhatu-Mandala," I. Astley- Kristensen explores some of the complex correspondences that

configure the worship of Vajrasattva in the Naya Assembly sub-man.dala of the important Vajradhatu-mandala. By tracing the scriptural sources, delineating the doctrinal precedents, and articulating the ritual form of this one sub-mandala, the author illustrates the remarkable degree of condensation of tra- dition effected by the Tantric Buddhist tradition.

The editor is to be commended for bringing about the pub- lication of this collection of essays so that a wider audience can also participate in some way in the evidently interesting seminars of "The Buddhist Forum" of the School of Oriental and African Studies. The volume contains essays of interest to scholars of varied specialized interests in Buddhist Studies and succeeds admirably in providing, as the editor notes, "a broad cross-section of British scholarship in Buddhist Studies today."

COLLET COX

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

511

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