The Buddhist Tradition in India, China and Japan

by William Theodore de Bary (editor)

This book, compiled from basic Buddhist writings, presents a survey of Buddhist thought in India, China & Japan, covering the central doctrines & practices that has profoundly influenced Asian life. Developments in practical ethics, social attitudes, philosophical speculation, & religious & esthetic contemplation are represented by selected excerpts from basic writings with succinct introductions & commentary. From these one may observe not only the remarkable vitality of Buddhism in its spread through Asia, but also the essential links between widely diverse forms, showing how the spiritual message of the Buddha found expression in different historical & cultural circumstances. Thus both its continuity in time & its wide range of influence mark Buddhism as a major spiritual force in the world. Buddha, as the Awakened One, has exemplified to millions throughout the ages a living Truth, a dynamic wisdom & an active compassion. It's these qualities that have inspired hope & courage in those who were asked to face to the stark reality of their condition: the inevitable involvement in suffering which arises from his persistent egoism & refusal to recognize finitude.

Genres: Religion, Buddhism, Nonfiction, Philosophy, History, Japan, China

442 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

William Theodore de Bary was an East Asian studies expert at Columbia University, with the title John Mitchell Mason Professor of the University and Provost Emeritus.

De Bary graduated from Columbia College in 1941, where he was a student in the first iteration of Columbia's famed Literature Humanities course. He then briefly took up graduate studies at Harvard before the US entered the Second World War. De Bary left the academy to serve in American military intelligence in the Pacific Theatre. Upon his return, he resumed his studies at Columbia, where he earned his PhD.

He has edited numerous books of original source material relating to East Asian (primarily Japanese and Chinese) literature, history, and culture, as well as making the case, in his book Nobility and Civility, for the universality of Asian values. He is recognized as essentially creating the field of Neo-Confucian studies.

Additionally, DeBary was active in faculty intervention during the Columbia University protests of 1968 and served as the university's provost from 1971 to 1978. He has attempted to reshape the Core Curriculum of Columbia College to include Great Books classes devoted to non-Western civilizations. DeBary is additionally famous for rarely missing a Columbia Lions football game since he began teaching at the university in 1953. A recognized educator, he won Columbia's Great Teacher Award in 1969, its Lionel Trilling Book Award in 1983 and its Mark Van Doren Award for Great Teaching in 1987.

Now the director of the Heyman Center for the Humanities and still teaching, De Bary lives in Rockland County, New York.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_de_Bary

Reviews

[Kaśyap · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good historical overview of Buddhist thought, from its origin and how it evolved subsequently in India, China and Japan. The editors mainly quote from the primary sources of the important and influential Buddhist writings while giving their historical and social context. This is an accessible and good starting point and reference material if you are interested in studying Buddhism.

[Akaash Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

i feel like my generational disillusionment is often crude approximation of core buddhist tenets. prescient af

[Max Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense book and difficult to read at times but should be expected with the subject. It is interesting to read about the evolution of religion and how it adapts to various countries’ existing cultures.

A piece from one of my favorite writings was on the last few pages of the book:

“While the visitor sits motionlessly, watching in silence the course of the smoke, he is certain to hear the cries of a solitary bird flying by the hut, or the dripping of water in the fountain outside, or the rustle of the wind in the pines above the roof. Like the pealing of a distant temple bell, such sounds come from nowhere and lose themselves in timelessness, to awaken the enveloping silence from which all music comes and into which all music returns. Because these sounds are so fleeting, so transitory, the presence of silence is felt all the more profoundly. A moment has communion with eternity when sound meets silence to create music.”

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely incomparable study of Buddhism's history, from its origins in India, continuing to its immigration to China, and finally to the development of Zen in Japan. Although obviously no one book could be a definitive single-volume text on a topic as huge as Buddhism, this book comes closer to any other that I've known. The authors wisely chose to educate the reader about given topics using direct, lengthy quotations from the great Buddhist works, without making these sections impenetrable. This use of first-hand sources makes this religion clearer to Western eyes than a digestion by the compilers. To anyone interested in Buddhism, this work and the Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha are the two best books I've read on the topic, with this one being slightly ahead of that other great work.

[Sashie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully detailed account of Buddhism. For anyone interested in learning the basic doctrine of Buddhism in the various places that had a role in shaping it, this is the book for you. This book is my study guide in the world of Buddhist religion. Insightful and accurate it was a great read to build the foundation of my Buddhist practice.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to the major forms of Buddhism. Good mix of primary scriptual sources and historical context.

[Connor Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction. The book has an extremely wide reach and would be a good starting point for more detailed studies as it provides many references and introduces the relationships between many different historical concepts and their origins. I can not say if it is a good starting point, but it certainly is something. Quite the opposite of other introductory texts with more commentary than script, this book is something like only 10% commentary. I enjoyed that, but some sections could stand to be explained or contextualized more.

[Aletta Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for a school assignment, and I found it surprisingly engaging. It offers a clear overview of how Buddhism developed and spread from India to China and Japan, highlighting how the tradition evolved in response to different cultures. I especially liked learning about the historical context behind each shift, and how Buddhist teachings were interpreted differently depending on the region. It was interesting to see how a single tradition could take on so many forms as it moved across the world. A solid introduction for anyone curious about the global journey of Buddhism.

[Kyra Krishna]

The Buddhist Tradition, pp. 1-122.

[Publius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect introduction to the history of Buddhist thought.

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

My goal with this book was to better understand the key differences between major Buddhist sects (Theravada, Mahayana, Zen) and to get a general idea of what others sects of Buddhism exist in different countries. This book did succeed in showing me the main sects and their key differences, but it also felt like it was written by authors who didn't have a good grasp of Buddhism themselves. The authors did say up front that much of this book was copied from other sources and their objective was to compile all the key bits, but with their clear lack of knowledge of Buddhism, I did question how much of their commentary was accurate. So I think this book is great for getting a broad look at the main Buddhist sects, but you should take the information and commentary with a grain of salt. This isn't very suitable as a book for learning the core teachings of Buddhism and the Buddha. This could be the perfect book for you if you want to get a sample of readings from dozens of Buddhist sects.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was assigned by Dr. Martyn for his course entitled "Christian Theology, Theories of Religion and World Faiths" taught during the first semester of 1975/76 at the Union Theological Seminary in New York. Only some was assigned, but I went through the whole of it, obtaining a nice overview of world Buddhism from its multinational representation of texts and practices.

The daughter of Ted de Bary, primary editor of the volume and a Columbia University professor, became my next-door neighbor on the third floor of Hastings Hall at the seminary.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read:
Fa-tsang's Essay on the Golden Lion pp. 168-172
Kukai's Ten Stages of Religious Consciousness pp. 304-309
Genshin's Essentials of Salvation pp. 321-327
Shinran's Statement Concerning Heresy pp. 339-342

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark brought this book into the marriage. I like it. It has shown me how unique the development of Buddhism has been among world religions.

[David Markwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good resource for all things Buddha.