Lost in the world of Buddhism

"The World of Buddhism", edited by Heinz Brechert and Richard Gombrich, is an excellent scholarly anthology. It deals with the teachings, historical development and contemporary practice of Buddhism, the first world religion. The book is primarily intended for students of comparative religion. With some effort, it could also be read by the general reader.

The book says relatively little about the original teachings of the Buddha (only one chapter) and almost nothing about Buddhist philosophy. Instead, the emphasis is on the history and current practice of Buddhism. There are extensive chapters on Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and Japan. It turns out that Buddhism has changed in often bewildering ways, which makes you wonder how much of the original teaching really remains. Thus, Buddhist monks in many nations are involved in social work or political activism, something prohibited by the monastic rules. In some nations, certain forms of Buddhism have become laicized. Virtually everywhere, Buddhism has been combined with other religions, including Hinduism, Shintoism or local spirit cults. Tibetan Buddhism in particular is very different from the original form. Yet, Tibetan Buddhism is easily the most well known form of Buddhism in the West!

The book ends with a relatively short chapter on Buddhist modernism and the spread of Buddhism in the United States and Western Europe. Apparently, neither Alan Watts nor Herman Hesse were Buddhist enough for the authors, who express strong disagreement with the first and don't even mention the second. (Isn't Alan the man anymore?) Yet, Watts, Hesse and perhaps Winnie the Pooh are probably the closest thing most Westerners have come to Buddhism, save the Tibetan Book of the Dead. A more comprehensive chapter on "really existing" Western Buddhism (warts and all) would have been better. Interestingly, the book doesn't criticize D.T. Suzuki.

Still, I recommend "The World of Buddhism" to everyone seriously interested in this religion and its practices. Without this book, you would probably feel lost in this strange and wonderful world!