The Dharma

Early Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism, The Mahayana Context of the Gaudapadiya-Karika, by Richard King (State University of New York Press, New York: 1995).  I've been waiting for many years for a book that would trace the relationship between Vedanta and Buddhism, and Richard King has produced a balanced, scholarly study that is quite readable.  He has centered his thesis on an analysis of an early (pre-Shankara) Vedantic text, the Gaudapadiya-Karika (GK). He concludes that there are distinct Madhyamaka and Yogachara influences on the GK, and suggests the possibility that the GK in turn influenced the later Buddhist tathagatagharba philosophy. King carefully elucidates the similarities and differences between Vedantic and Buddhist thought, without slighting either tradition.  In the process he clarifies our understanding of the central doctrines of Buddhism--the emptiness of all dharmas, no-self, and the middle path--and likewise our understanding of the long tradition of eternalism and absolutism in the Vedantic teaching.  King provides copious footnotes, an excellent bibliography, and a running translation of the GK. The book was poorly proofed, as there are a number of typos, but they do not detract from the excellent scholarship displayed by Mr. King.

Click here to order this book from Amazon.

Divine Revelation in Pali Buddhism by Peter Masefield (Published by The Sri Lanka Institute of Traditional Studies, Colombo, 1987).This book should be read by anyone who is seriously interested in understanding early Buddhism.

One school of scholarly thought, represented in particular by J.N. Jayatilleke and David J. Kalupahana,  maintains that early Buddhists were strict empiricists.  This interpretation is very appealing to modern intellectuals in search of a spiritual home.  When I first encountered Divine Revelation in Pali Buddhism I was a bit put off by the title and didn’t buy it.  The very thought of divine revelation being part of the Buddhist tradition was anathema to me. Nevertheless, my curiosity was piqued, and I eventually did special-order it from Amazon.

Mr. Masefield emphasizes that the technical language of Pali Buddhism, now 2000 years old, is still poorly understood and often incorrectly translated--the gist of his argument being that right view, the first step on the noble eightfold path, was only obtained by oral transmission directly from the Buddha himself.  Early Buddhists believed that the acquisition of right view "prevented the generation of any fresh kamma" and "brought to destruction the majority of all kamma previously generated."  Masefield argues that early Buddhism is essentially a religion of salvation through divine revelation.   Certainly Buddhism has changed continually over its 2500 years of existence, and human thought processes and the intellectual milieu 2500 years ago were quite different from our own. 

I cannot detail all the supporting quotations Dr. Masefield marshalls from the Pali Nikayas, but let me state that he makes his case very convincingly.  If his thesis does not jive with what most contemporary Buddhists teach about Buddhism, we must nevertheless give his argument the consideration due a serious Pali scholar .

Click here to special order this book from Amazon.

Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge by Kulatissa Nanda Jayatilleke (London:  George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1963) is a must-read for Buddhist scholars with an interest in  the origins of Buddhist thought.  Jayatilleke analyzes the philosophical background of Buddhism, both vedic and non-vedic, at great length, and then details the Buddhist response to all earlier philosophies, as well as to the acquisition of knowledge in general.  The last and most fascinating chapter is entitled "The Means and Limits of Knowledge," in which Jayatilleke speaks of empiricism in Buddhism and its limits when dealing with the ineffable.  In the final paragraph he says:  "The transempirical cannot be empirically described or understood...but it can be realized and attained."  Few other works cover the same ground, and the ones that do use this book as a reference.

I bought my copy of what appears to be a first edition, dated 1963, in a bookstore near Rice University, in Houston in 1970.  I didn't read it until 20 years later, and it was as good a read as I had always known it would be.  This book is out of print, but I have seen it recently on the used market.  I believe it has  been through at least one Indian edition.

Click here to buy a used copy from  aLibris.

A History of Buddhist Philosophy:  Continuities and Discontinuities by David J. Kalupahana (Honolulu:  University of Hawaii Press, 1992).  A thorough examination of the intracacies of Buddhist Philosophy, beginning with the Pali Nikayas, making a strenuous effort to understand precisely what the Buddha was saying, as recorded in these earliest sources, particularly in regard to non-substantiality and the middle way--avoiding the extremes of absolutism (both eternalism and nihilism).  It further traces the evolution of Buddhist thought through the analysis and classifications of the Abidhamma teachings, the Prajnaparamita (perfection of wisdom) teachings, which deconstruct our normal modes of thought, Nagarjuna’s attempt to return Buddhism to its non-substantial philosophical roots, and on to the Lotus Sutra, Vasubandhu, Dignaga, Buddhaghosa, and finally to the Tantras and Ch’an or Zen.  The scope of the work is breathtaking.

A quote will give an idea of the tone of the book:  “If there were absolute certainty regarding the validity of the theory or belief or perspective, then holding it to be superior would be justified.  But our analysis of the Buddha’s epistemology and logic provided no evidence that he claimed such certainty; on the contrary, he was extremely critical of those who made such claims.”  (p. 237)

Click here to order this book from Amazon.