THE SPREAD OF BUDDHISM . Edited by AnnHeirman and Stephan PeterBumbacher . Handbook of Oriental Studies; Section 8: Central Asia, 16 . Leiden : Brill , 2007 . Pp. 474 ; 1 map. $200.00.
摘要
This title of this big volume should not mislead readers. This is not a general, textbook‐style survey of the spread of Buddhism, but a collection of expert studies that focus on specific regions and/or related topics. The title also obscures the fact that although the book deals with various regions (South Asia, Central Asia, the Hellenistic world, China, Korea, Tibet, and Mongolia), it says very little about Japan and nothing at all about the spread of Buddhism to Sri Lanka, South East Asia, or “the West.” All chapters are substantial scholarly studies written by known experts in the fields. Some discuss the introduction or presence of Buddhism in specific regions: Gandhāra (Dietz), Serindia (Tremblay), the Hellenistic world (Seldeslachts), Korea (V. Broucke), Tibet (Kollmar‐Paulenz and Bretfeld), and Mongolia (Sagaster). Others focus on topics: philosophical controversies in India (Dessein), the links between India and China regarding monastic law (Heirman) and tantric practice (Lehnert), Daoist responses to early Buddhism in China (Bumbacher), and the spread of Chan/Zen Buddhism (Foulk). All chapters provide new and interesting perspectives on their topics and include rich bibliographies of primary and secondary sources. Although the book as a whole is probably too expensive for classroom use, individual chapters can be ideal supplements to regular textbooks that often neglect many of the regions and issues addressed in this book.
