This book is a complete revision of the first edition, published originally in 2000. It has been revised in the light of the wealth of new scholarship that continues to appear on all areas of Buddhism, but in particular on Mahāyāna and tantric Buddhism. We have also added several appendices lacking in the first edition, aimed at helping students to develop more deeply their study and appreciation of Buddhist thought.
The purpose of the book remains a straightforward one. It is to serve as an accessible and reliable guide for students wishing to reach, as quickly as possible, a familiarity with the basic ideas of Buddhist philosophical and religious thought, and the results of some of the latest research in the field. A good understanding of the way Buddhism developed in India is an essential prerequisite for any appreciation of Buddhist ideas elsewhere, in Tibet, China, or Japan and the other countries of East Asia.
The book aims to give a comprehensive first survey of Buddhist thought, devoting adequate balanced space to basic, early and mainstream Indian Buddhism, the views of some of the philosophical developments, and the often neglected and inadequately understood topic of tantric Buddhism. It will also serve as an introduction to Buddhism as such, providing the reader remembers that the interests of the authors are mainly in religious and philosophical thought, that is, essentially, in doctrines. There is of course much more to a religion as something lived by all its members at all levels in history and society than its ideas on these topics – no matter how central they might be. But it is arguable that without a good grounding in Buddhist doctrine it is very difficult for the student to gain a proper appreciation of what is going on in Buddhism as it occurs in the day to day lives of Buddhists themselves.
The authors of this book have between them many years of experience in teaching Buddhism at school and university level, in the United Kingdom, the United States and in Asia. They have also taught Buddhist thought in the context of centres for Westerners who are interested in practising Buddhism but who want a proper academically respectable grounding in Buddhist doctrine. In writing this book they have borne in mind the interests and difficulties of such students, particularly students coming from a background in theology, religious studies, and philosophy rather than, say, Asian languages. The authors have tried very hard to make ideas accessible that can sometimes seem abstract and complex. The use of technical terms in Asian languages has been kept to a minimum. Where necessary, both the Sanskrit and the Pāli versions of terms have been carefully indicated. Unless the contrary is stated, however, a technical term is in Sanskrit. Where both terms are given, the Sanskrit is usually given first. The exception is where the context is a discussion of a source in Pāli. In that case the term is in Pāli, or the Pāli version is given first. The reader should have no problem in knowing which language a term is in.
Because this book is intended as a guide for students a central feature is the full Bibliography. This is in order to enable students to know where to find material that might interest them for further study. We have done our best to list all the works referred to in the text. In particular the primary sources – the Indian writings themselves – have been included with reference to reasonably reliable translations where available, and also where to find the Sanskrit, Pāli, Tibetan and Chinese texts. Thus it is hoped that the book will be of value as well to those who are familiar with these languages, as a study resource.
If there is a common thread running through much of this work it is that of the central distinction for Buddhists between the way things appear to be when seen by ordinary unenlightened people, and the way they actually are. Things are seen the way they actually are by those like Buddhas who are enlightened, that is, awakened to the truth. This distinction has given Buddhism an acute interest in issues of ontology, i.e. what can be said really to exist. Such matters are essentially philosophical. In Buddhism philosophical insight – coming to understand things the way they really are – has transformative moral and spiritual implications. On the other hand there are areas of Buddhist thought that are treated in this book only cursorily or not at all. For example, there is not a great deal of direct discussion here of Buddhist ethics. Buddhist thinking on the role and potential of women, or ecology, or politics, for example, is scarcely treated at all. For this we offer no apology. Some selection was inevitable. This is an introduction to Buddhist thought in India. It naturally reflects the interests of its authors. Paul Williams wrote the original versions of Chapters 1 to 6, and the appendices, and put the book together. For this second edition Chapters 1 and 2 were revised by Alexander Wynne, who is a specialist in the forms of Buddhism treated in those chapters. Paul Williams revised Chapters 3–6. The chapter on Buddhist Tantra (Chapter 7) was revised by Anthony Tribe, who also wrote the original version of that chapter.
It is sometimes said that a book has not really been read unless it has been read three times. Taking either the book as a whole, a chapter, or a section, the first read should be fairly rapid. This reading is in order to survey the topic and get a broad understanding of its nature and scope. It shows you where you are going. The second read should be in detail, making notes as necessary. The final reading is to check any points that are still unclear, pull the topic together, appreciate some of the subtleties, and really engage with the material critically. The student who reads this book carefully will by the end have a good familiarity with the main Indian Buddhist ideas. He or she will be able to handle with confidence the language and concepts in which those ideas are expressed, and will have met with some of the very latest thinking among scholars working on the topics which have been introduced. After that, with the aid of the further reading mentioned in Appendix 1 and the book’s Bibliography, the student will have the ability and plenty of help to explore further the astonishingly rich, stimulating, and challenging world that is Buddhism.
Paul Williams
Centre for Buddhist Studies, University of Bristol