Review

Reviewed Work(s): The Path of the Buddha: Buddhism Interpreted by Buddhists. by

Kenneth W. Morgan
Review by: E. Michael Mendelson
Source: Pacific Affairs, Vol. 30, No. 4 (Dec., 1957), pp. 381-382
Published by: Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2753130
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 Pacific Affairs

The three Theravada essays are efficient. But, in spite of valiant attempts
by some of the Japanese authors-the sections on Shin, Zen and Nichiren
and the last essay on "unity and diversity" are the most readable in the book-
the Mahayana chapters lack sinews, leaving us only with three or four simi-
lar snapshots of the philosophical skeleton behind the various Sino-Japanese
manifestations. These bones could have been dealt with in the fourth essay
on the development of Mahayana beliefs (which, as it stands, is too abstruse
for an introductory work), allowing more space for historical, artistic or
sociological details and sect diversities far too curtly dealt with throughout.
The Tibetan chapter is verbose and uninformative. Need an official tell us
that Tibetan government "deals with such matters as the maintenance of re-
ligious institutions, the safeguarding of political independence, keeping down
the cost of living and the preservation of the distinctive culture, social life
and religious traditions of the country" (p. 260) ? Better than much of this
would be another complete and available translation of a Mahayana scripture!
Rather than more introductions, however helpful, we need more knowl-
edge about the range of variation in the beliefs of specific groups without
which individual expositions are hard to commission and evaluate. This in
turn demands more knowledge of Buddhist sociology, here only hinted at
(e.g., on pp. I39-I44 or 389). While for "primitive" religions we know mostly
about behavior rather than belief, the situation is reversed for the "higher"
faiths. Here our knowledge of the (a-social?) apex (the highest sophistica-
tion of philosopher or initiate) must be matched by, and dovetailed into, our
knowledge of the social base-the average man's variety of religious behavior
related to a variety of social structures. Only then shall we begin to picture
both the unity and diversity of Buddhism as well as add something new to
the study of religion.
Finally, why should the editor have "sought to avoid comparative judg-
ments" (p. iv) ? Firstly, these would be documents; secondly, when our own
leaders daily judge and criticize, such limitations smack overmuch of self-
defence.

London E. MICHAEL MENDELSON

PAKISTAN: SOCIETY AND CULTURE. Edited by Stanley Maron. New

Haven: Human Relations Area Files; New York: Institute of Pacific
Relations. I957. I92 pp. $3.50.

CHANGING SOCIETY IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN. By A. K. Nazmul Karim.

Dacca and New York: Oxford University Press. i957. I73 pp. $1.50.
SINCE I947 a steady stream of anthropologists and sociologists, mostly
Americans, has invaded the Indian sub-continent and students in India and

382

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