Buddhist Philosophy: A Historical Analysis

Foreword

Foreword I have much pleasure in writing a foreword to the present publication by Dr. D. J. Kalupahana, my friend and erstwhile student. Here we have a volume that fulfills admirably the purpose for which it was intended-to outline the development of Buddhist philosophy from the days of its origin down to the time of the development of Zen. Starting from the philosophical and religious ideas prevalent during the pre-Buddhist period, the author has extended his survey to the later schools of Buddhism. One whole chapter is devoted to the Buddhist theory of causality , which forms the basic teaching of Buddhism and is its central conception. The author's chief endeavor is to prove that early Buddhism is empiricistic and antimetaphysical and that it does not accept anything which cannot be experienced either through the senses or extrasensory perception. This point of view he follows up with a later chapter on karma and rebirth, in which he seeks to remove several prevalent misconceptions, for example, that Buddhism is a deterministic religion. But perhaps the most provocative chapter in the book is the seventh, which deals with nibbiina (nirvana). This is a subject on which countless treatises have been written recently, especially by Western savants, many of whom tend to interpret nibbiina as transcendental and absolute. Speculation on the nature of nibbiina is bound to continue endlessly. As the Buddha himself has warned us, nibbiilla is a matter for experience, not for definition or description. The parable of the five blind men and the elephant is a very apt one. Dr. Kalupahana's statements are buttressed by quotations from the most authentic sources, the Pali Nikayas. The second part of the book deals with later Buddhism and contains a concise and readable account of the developments that took place after the Buddha's parinirviina and the emergence of different schools of Buddhism. Here the author gives his own views IX regarding the Madhyamika and the transcendentalism of the Prajniipiiramitii literature. These views deserve the serious attention of scholars because they are often contrary to ideas which are now generally prevalent. These remarks also apply to the author's observations regarding Zen Buddhism. All in all, this book will be a very welcome addition to works already available for the study of a religion which has now spread throughout the world, giving spiritual solace to a very large section of humanity. G. P. Malalasekera X FOREWORD ...