Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction. By Richard H. Robinson, Willard L. Johnson, and Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff). 5th ed. Wadsworth/Thomson, 2004. 357 pages. $47.95.
摘要
The first edition of this widely used introduction to Buddhism, authored by Richard Robinson, was published in 1970 by the Dickenson Press in the Religious Life of Man Series. Four years later an anthology of Buddhist texts edited by Stephan Beyer and intended as a companion volume appeared. Subsequent editions of The Buddhist Religion, its original title, were modified and expanded by several other authors. Willard Johnson became a co-author beginning with the third edition (1982) and Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff) with the fourth edition (1997). Retitled Buddhist Religions to emphasize the diversity of the traditions, schools, practices, and forms of Buddhism throughout Asia and now globally, the chief architect of the major revisions and additions to the fifth edition is Thanissaro Bhikkhu. The present book, over three times the length of the first edition, bears only a slight resemblance to the 1970 incarnation. Similarly the second edition of the companion volume, The Experience of Buddhism: Sources and Interpretation (2002) edited by John S. Strong, is only a distant cousin to the first collection put together by Stephan Beyer. When combined, these two volumes constitute the most substantial introduction to Buddhist texts, history, and practices currently available. The following review of Buddhist Religions is divided into five parts: an overview of the book’s content; a description of the major changes and additions in comparison with the fourth edition; an analysis of the book’s most distinctive features; a coda about Thanissaro Bhikkhu who is less well known to the American academic community than to the American Buddhist community; and a concluding brief comparison with several other new introductions to Buddhism.
Buddhist Religions is a substantive, comprehensive overview of Buddhism. Following the fourth edition, the story of Buddhism unfolds around five perspectives: ritual, devotionalism, doctrine, meditation practice, and institutional history. The …
