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South Asian Buddhism Revised South Asian Buddhism: A Survey , by Stephen C. Berkwitz. London and New York: Routledge, 2010. 244+ xii., $ 34.95, ISBN- 10: 0-415-45249-1/ ISBN-13: 978-0-415- 45249-6 Reviewed by Chipamong Chowdhury, University of Toronto, Canada When I was an undergraduate and post-graduate student in Burma and Sri Lanka, I was looking for a book that contained a precise survey of South Asian Buddhism. There was not a single book about South Asian Buddhism. Stephen C. Berkwitz felt the same when he was teaching a course on Buddhism at the University of California, Riverside. The book addresses not only the intellectual thought of Buddhism, but also the cross- cultural history of South Asia. In the book, Berkwitz seeks to illuminate both the socio- cultural history of South Asian Buddhism of the past, and the contemporary Buddhist revival in South Asia. This work is an updated anthology on South Asian Buddhism. Unlike Southeast Asian Buddhism, which is predominantly Therav āda, South Asian Buddhism represents synchronistic Buddhist faith, that is Therav āda, Mah āyāna, and Vajray āna have all been mixed and practiced in South Asia. The book has six successive chapters, followed by an appendix and a glossary. The first chapter reinvestigates the emergence of asceticism in ancient India and Buddhist monasticism, with the sections on the fundamental teachings of the Buddha and his biographical works. According to Berkwitz, the rationale behind the expansion of the Buddha’s biography was to transform the Buddha into a superhuman figure (p.23). Veneration of the st ūpa, which symbolically represents an abstract symbol of the Buddha, is one of the main ritual performances in all forms of South Asian Buddhism. In chapter 2, Berkwitz surveys the development of the mainstream Buddhist communities and their texts, including the establishment of the Bhik ṣuṇī/bhikkhun ī order. It is followed by the history of the Buddhist councils and the different schools of Buddhism in medieval India. For Berkwitz, the Pāṭimokkha /Pr ātimoksa), the monastic manual, played a central role in the early development of Buddhist communities. Berkwitz considers that the name Therav āda derived from the Vibhajyav āda Sthavira School (p.58). The third chapter explores the origins and development of Mah āyāna Buddhism, and celebrates Mah āyāna literary achievements. Berkwitz comments on the ongoing struggle in Buddhist scholarship is to arrive at a definite conclusion about the origins of Mah āyāna Buddhism, citing Akira Hirakawa’s work, 1 as the basis from which earlier scholars believed that the Mah āyāna movement emerged in India as a lay movement. He further comments on recent scholarship on Indian Mah āyāna Buddhism, particularly by Reginald Ray 2 and Jan Nattier, 3 which evidently shows the existence of both lay and monastic bodhisattvas in India. Berkwitz notes that, unlike in East Asia, most of the Mah āyāna thought, including the Tath āgatagarbha -theory and Amitabha’s teaching were 1 Akira Hirakawa. A History of Indian Buddhism from Śakyamuni to Early Mah āyāna (Translated and Edited by Paul Groner). (Delhi: Matilal Banarsidass, 1993). 2 Reginald A Ray. Buddhist Saint in India: A Study in Buddhist Value & Orientation . (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994). 3 Jan Nattier. A Few Good Men: The Bodhisattva Path According to Ugra (Ugraparip ṛcch ā). (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2003). never favored in South Asia. Among other scriptures, Berkwitz mentions the Ugraparip ṛpcch ā, and Rāṣṭ rapalaparipṛcch ā S ūtra as influential texts in shaping Mah āyāna Buddhism of South Asia. In this chapter, Berkwitz also discusses one of the most famous of all lay bodhisattvas in Indian Mah āyāna Buddhism, Vimalak īrti, who with his skillful means (up āya ), teaches how a bodhisattva lives in the world without becoming attached to non- dual nature of reality (p.85). Continuing on the same theme of the nature of reality, he notes how the Prajñp ārāmit ā, Sa ṃdhinirnocana , La ṅkāvatara , and Śrīmal ādev īsi ṃhan āda Sūtras laid the groundwork for the development of the Madhyamaka, Yog ācāra, and Buddha-nature philosophies and other s ūtra s like the Sukkh āvat īvyūha and Ak ṣobhavy ūha S ūtras developed the concept of the heavenly buddhas and bodhisattvas, which Berkwitz calls the ‘Mahāyāna Pantheon’ (p.97). Chapter four explores the chronological development of Buddhist thought and the later incorporation of Buddhist scholasticism, in which the legacy of Vasubandhu, Buddhaghosa, Dharmak īrti and Śāntideva, and their respective works are shortly described. It also investigates the development of Buddhist Tantra and Vajray āna. Perhaps the greatest interest to readers is the last two chapters. In both chapters, Berkwitz surveys the continual developments of Buddhism in South Asia. This survey consists of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, including the monastic institutions, ritualism, and local Buddhist literatures in those countries. Among numerous poetic ( kāvya ) and prose texts, the notable Sinhala Buddhist texts are Ba ṇapot (preaching texts), pūjavaliye (garland of offering) and Th ūpava ṃsa .4 One of the popular ritual practices in Sri Lankan Buddhism is the Pirit or Paritta , the protective chanting for blessing (p.150). In this survey, Berkwitz did not include the fifth century protective chanting manual ( Catubh ānav ārap āli ) as a reference. In Bhutan, since its introduction from Tibet in the seventh century, Tibetan Buddhism continues to enjoy popularity. Of the four rival Buddhist sects in Tibetan Buddhism, Kagyu and Nyingma have been the dominate sects in Bhutan (p.165). Besides the importance of rituals for the Buddha and Padmasambhava, the first Shabdrung is centered in Bhutan. In the remainders of his survey, Berkwitz discusses the rise and fall of Christianity and colonialism in South Asia, particularly in Sri Lanka. During the colonial period, Buddhism in Sri Lanka not only considerably suffered from political and economical impoverishment but also underwent other changes, including modernization. Among the prominent Sinhalese Buddhist leaders, Anag ārika Dhammap āla was the key proponent for modernizing Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Berkwitz notes other memorable events in this period such as the popularly known “Panadura Debate,” in which a Buddhist monk critically responded to the Christian doctrine (p.168). The final chapter continues to explore similar themes: the Buddhist revival in Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh; Buddhist nationalism, the revival of the bhikkhun ī order in Sri Lanka and in Nepal, and so forth. According to Berkwitz, in Sri Lanka calls for independence and cultural revival were linked to calls for reforming and reviving the Buddhist religion (p.175). Through his public speech and writing, particularly in the book The Heritage of the Bhikkhu ( Bhik ṣuvagé Urumaya ), Walpola Rahula strongly urged the restoration of the monks’ social responsibility, which directly influenced later generations 4 Stephen C. Berkwitz. The History of the Buddha’s Relic Shrine (A Translation of the Sinhala Th ūpava ṃsa) . (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007). of monks. After the premature death of the venerable Gangodawila Soma (1948-2003), there was the emergence of a number of nationalistic monks who, in the spring of 2004, formed a new political party: Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU= National Sinhala Heritage). Despite the mixed opinions of the monks and laity, in the election on 2 April, 2004, the JHU successfully managed to win nine parliamentary seats. Berkwitz further discusses how, unlike in Sri Lanka, revival of Buddhism in Nepal came from the pressure to adopt Hinduism (p.170). Lama Kyangtse, an influential Tibetan teacher, and two Therav āda novices, Mahapragya and Pragyananda, ordained by the Burmese monk Candramani were the revolutionary people who revived Buddhism in Nepal. In Berkwitz’s survey, Therav āda appears ‘modern’ and perhaps progressive to a growing number of Newar Buddhists, the traditional rites of Vajray āna in Nepal have become more difficult to maintain (p.183). The inclusion of the Buddhist revival in Bangladesh, although it is less than two pages, will contribute to developing the study of Buddhism in Bangladesh as a vital Buddhist culture and as an emerging field of South Asian Buddhist and Therav āda Studies. Since 1998, Sri Lanka has been the center of the revival of the bhikkhun ī Order in South Asia. In discussing the place of the Bhikkhun ī in Nepal, Berkwitz remarks that some nuns have joined the international networks of women striving to develop the bhikkhun ī orders worldwide (p.191). With a brief survey of Buddhist social activism, such as Ambedkar Buddhist movement in India and the Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka established by A.T. Ariyaratana, Berkwitz further strengthens his survey (p.192). He also includes of a more recent (2004) another lay Buddhist activist group, motivated by the Buddhist socio-spiritual philosophy, is the Damrivi Foundation. This foundation assists to help rural development programs, irrigation projects, scholarships programs for youth, computer training, and free counseling (p.198). From 1960 onwards, one can easily notice the increase of the Tibetan Buddhists in South Asia, particularly India and Nepal. Thus, Berkwitz uncovers the spread of Tibetan Buddhist communities outside of Tibet (199). The book ends with another brief survey of lay Buddhist practices. Besides ritual aspects, the spiritual aspect also is developed by the laity –notably vipassan ā in Nepal and Sri Lanka. To educate young Buddhists, the Sunday Dharma School is opened in Sri Lanka and in other South Asian nations. The book is a comprehensive survey of Buddhism in South Asia. My only criticism is of some discussion in chapter four, in which Berkwitz explores Buddhist scholasticism. Since Vasubandhu, Buddhaghosa, Dharmak īrti and Śāntideva are well- known in Buddhist studies, the lesser known scholars such as Sthiramati, Bhavaviveka, Śā ntarak ṣita, and Kamala śī la in the Sanskrit tradition and Buddhap ālita, Dhammap āla, Buddhadatta, and Anuruddha of the P āli tradition, could have been be emphasized.
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