Theravada Buddhist Treasures at the British Library

San San May, Jana Igunma. Buddhism Illuminated: Manuscript Art from South-East Asia. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2018. Illustrations. 256 pp. $65.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-295-74378-3. Reviewed by Jinah Kim (Harvard University) Published on H-Asia (August, 2020) Commissioned by Sumit Guha (The University of Texas at Austin) Theravada Buddhist Treasures at the British Library As a legacy of British colonial rule in different attested in the British Library, the strength is in parts of Asia, the British Library is a prime re‐ Thai and Burmese materials, the former thanks to search destination for many scholars working on Ginsburg’s legacy and the latter owing to the colo‐ Asia. The library’s Southeast Asian manuscript nial rule of Myanmar as a province of British In‐ holdings are perhaps not the strongest outside dia following three Anglo-Burman wars (1824-26, Southeast Asia, as the British Empire’s direct rule 1852-53, 1885). A brief discussion of codicological did not go beyond today’s Myanmar in mainland features introduces two main types of Southeast Asia. The strength of the Southeast Asian manuscripts prepared and used in traditional collection has been steadily growing since the Southeast Asia: the pothi-format that held together 1970s, thanks to the late Dr. Henry D. Ginsburg loose folios of palm-leaflet or tree bark with cords (1940-2007), who dedicated his career to studying or metal sticks, a format that originates from the Thai manuscripts and promoting Thai art and cul‐ Indian subcontinent, and the concertina-format ture. The publication of Buddhism Illuminated: or folding book (known as parabaik in Burmese Manuscript Art from Southeast Asia helps make and samut khoi in Thai), also known as accordion this important collection of manuscripts more type, which probably originates from China. Mate‐ widely known and invite scholars to study them. rials used for manuscript production from palm- Written by two curators of the British Library, San leaflets to bamboo to different types of paper San May, curator of Burmese collections, and Jana (mostly made of mulberry or mixture of mulberry Igunma, Henry Ginsburg Curator for Thai, Lao, and bamboo pulps) to pigments and tools are also and Cambodian collections, the book is fittingly discussed. dedicated to the memory of Ginsburg. It is clear from the introduction that Bud‐ The book opens with an introduction that ex‐ dhism in the book’s title, Buddhism Illuminated, is plains the scope and nature of the British Library’s Theravada Buddhism, which emphasizes the Southeast Asian collections, which include over monastic ordination lineage and the teaching of 400 Thai manuscripts, several thousand books of the historical Buddha going back to the earliest Thai origin, and about 1,800 Burmese items. Al‐ monastic community (“thera” refers to monastic though many more Southeast Asian languages are elders) based on the Pali canon.[1] Dominance of H-Net Reviews Theravada Buddhism in mainland Southeast Asia and the Mahabuddhaguna along with apotropaic as we know today gradually rose after the twelfth texts, such as the Unhissavijaya and the Mahasara century. This happened through multiple moments (popular dhāranīs or sacred chants in the Ma‐ of reforms prompted by different political and his‐ hayana Buddhist tradition), not unlike illuminated torical circumstances, like the intervention by Christian manuscripts of the Book of Hours. These King Dhammaceti of Pegu (r. 1471-92) that sought sampler manuscripts were commissioned “to the authority of Lankan (Sinhalese) monastic ordi‐ make merit on behalf of a severely ill or dying per‐ nation lineages. The book, then, aims to present son” (p. 109). the central Theravada Buddhist tenets as “ex‐ Chapter 4 succinctly explains workings of plored through the eyes of local and royal artists sangha, Buddhist monastic community, through from Southeast Asia, mostly anonymous, who cre‐ various manuscripts that show monks in action, ated these outstanding and unique works of art” either as disciples of the Buddha or as teachers (p. 9). The subsequent chapters are organized themselves. The whole question of bhikkhuni (Bud‐ through a Buddhist thematic order, starting with dhist nuns) ordination in the Theravada tradition the three jewels of Buddhism (triratna), “Buddha” is glossed over, but at least one nineteenth-century (chapter 2), “Dhamma” (chapter 3), and “Sangha” Burmese manuscript (Or. 14405) introduced in (chapter 4), followed by chapters on two central chapter 3 includes depiction of two bhikkhunis in Buddhist concepts: “Kamma” (cause and effect, pink monastic robes (p. 100).[2] Just as the Bud‐ chapter 5) and “Punna” (religious merits, chapter dha’s life stories painted in manuscripts show dis‐ 6). tinct local interpretations and pictorial elements, Chapter 2 introduces the ten birth-tales of the the cosmological understanding of the Buddhist Buddha with accompanying illustrations drawn universe with many “bhums” (planes) of existence from various manuscripts. The ten birth-tales of from various heavens to hells introduced in chap‐ the Buddha’s previous lives, known as jatakas, are ter 5 is also depicted through localizing pictorial popular in manuscript illustration throughout programs and languages. An exquisitely painted mainland Southeast Asia. The ten tales illustrate Thai manuscript (Or. 14838) of the excerpts from the perfection of ten Buddhist virtues (Renuncia‐ the Tipitaka and the Phra Malai story includes an tion-Temiya, Perseverance-Mahajanaka, Devo‐ image of Tara, a popular Mahayana Buddhist god‐ tion-Suvanna Sama, Resolution-Nimi, Wisdom- dess in completely Thai garb depicted in-flight with Mahosadha, Moral practice-Bhuridatta, Forbear‐ an entourage of flying celestial devatas (p. 178).[3] ance-Canda Kumara, Equanimity-Narada, Truth‐ The last chapter deals with patronage. A mid-nine‐ fulness-Vidhura Pandita, and Generosity-Vessan‐ teenth-century Burmese manuscript (Or. 13681, tara), and a number of delightful examples like dated 1857) is a particularly striking example that Mss Burmese 202 and Or 13538 illuminate these can help us understand the social and cultural stories with richly colored, landscape-filled scenes. contexts of royal donations of manuscripts. Chap‐ In chapter 3, which collects manuscript examples ter 6 also explores Buddhist manuscripts’ function that relate to the main Buddhist teaching of moral‐ to support laity to deal with the dead, introducing ity (sila), meditation (samadhi), and wisdom (pan‐ more pages illustrating the story of Phra Malai, a na), the authors make one of the important obser‐ monk who travels to visit various heavens and vations about the types of manuscripts that were hells through his supernatural power, popular in commissioned with illustrations: many painted Thai manuscripts. The book ends with three short manuscripts are not of a single text but of a collec‐ appendices with handy lists (the twenty-eight Bud‐ tion of excerpts from the Tipitaka, especially im‐ dhas of the past, the auspicious symbols on the portant passages from the Abhidhamma pitaka 2 H-Net Reviews Buddhapada, and overview of the Tipitaka), a glos‐ traveled along monastic networks. Further re‐ sary of terms, a short bibliography, and an index. search on this topic of the movements of While the book largely succeeds as a pictorial manuscripts would be fascinating, along with guide to Theravada Buddhist traditions of South‐ comparative analysis of artistic styles and produc‐ east Asia, it unfortunately sacrifices depth and rig‐ tion methods. Buddhism Illuminated brings togeth‐ or for easy comprehension. A tendency to simplify er an extraordinary number of illustrations from and generalize without footnotes or references Southeast Asian manuscripts. Different styles of along with a slim bibliography (less than a page painting from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century long) gives little confidence on the academic rigor Southeast Asia are compiled. The frequent use of of the research behind the book. In a sweeping nar‐ landscape and other pictorial conventions that rative about Buddhism of Khmer and Thai peoples, seem to have been taken from European paintings the authors take Angkor Wat as a Buddhist monu‐ would be a fascinating topic to explore further. ment and Khmer King Suryvarman I (r. 1006-50) as Such an inquiry would help us understand early one of the “greatest supporters of Buddhism in modern artistic practices in Southeast Asia and the mainland Southeast Asia,” which is an overgener‐ impact of colonial rules and trades on them. alization at best (pp. 13-14). Angkor Wat was an There is little effort made to historicize initially Vaishnavite monument built by Suryavar‐ manuscripts through historical research, and we man II (r. 1113-45 or later) that was later reanimat‐ learn little about each manuscript. Even the infor‐ ed as a Buddhist temple in the sixteenth century by mation about each manuscript’s material compo‐ Khmer King Ang Chan (r. 1516-1566).[4] Suryvar‐ sition and format is vague at best, and one gets lit‐ man I’s posthumous title, “Nirvanapada (belong‐ tle sense about each manuscript’s structure, codi‐ ing to nirvana),” may suggest his Buddhist affilia‐ cology, and iconographic program. Pages from a tion, but to call him one of the greatest supporters single manuscript are selected and dispersed of Buddhism in mainland Southeast Asia would re‐ throughout the text to illuminate Buddhism, but quire more than a posthumous title as his reign did without ever connecting back to the manuscript’s

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