Baba Noritoshi's "Early Buddhism: Tracing Buddha's Thought" Summary and Comments - A recommended introduction to primitive Buddhism that reflects the latest research.
I am pleased to present "Early Buddhism: Tracing the Thought of Buddha" by Baba Noritoshi, published by Iwanami Shoten in 2018.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, the "Awakened One" preached a teaching that fundamentally reexamined "self" and "life" and, through this, envisioned the ideal society. Why was this idea born in ancient India? Is it possible to trace it back to the Buddha's teachings passed down orally, using existing materials as clues? This is a journey through the "Beginning of Buddhism" based on the latest research findings.
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This book will be an introduction to early Buddhism, reflecting the latest research findings as of 2018, as indicated in the book introduction above.
What impressed me most when I read this book was that Dr. Gen Nakamura's theory has been disproved in the latest research.
We have been talking about Dr. Gen Nakamura on this blog for some time now.Ancient India.andAn Introduction to Buddhism by Gen Nakamura.and various other books. Dr. Gen Nakamura passed away in 1999, but the subsequent development of Buddhist studies can be felt in this work, "Early Buddhism: Tracing Buddha's Thought.
I can't summarize the specifics well here, but I'll quote from that criticism.
As explained below, some of the rhymed Buddhist scriptures were established in B.C., but originally had no authority as a rallying Buddhist scripture and were handed down outside of it.
This means that the monolithic picture of the development from the rhymed Buddhist scriptures to the prose Buddhist scriptures (Sanzang), as once assumed by Nakamura Gen and other Buddhist scholars, does not hold. There is a methodological problem in finding the origin of Sanzang in the rhymed Buddhist scriptures.
If we are to approach the reality of early Buddhist scriptural traditions, we must understand them according to their respective characteristics, without confusing the original form of Sanzang, which originated in the rallying Buddhist scriptures, with the group of rhymed Buddhist scriptures that were added to them later. As a concrete example of this, I would like to point out the following type of rhymed Buddhist scriptures.
Iwanami Shoten, Baba Noritoshi, Tracing the Thought of Buddha in Early Buddhism, p. 70-71
This means that the single-line diagram of the development from rhymed Buddhist scriptures to prose Buddhist scriptures (Sanzang), which was once assumed by Nakamura Gen and other Buddhist scholars, no longer holds."
In other words, the "oldest Buddhist scripture passage" that Gen Nakamura assumed was not the oldest. If we try to look at it from the viewpoint that "the oldest scripture is the basis of primitive Buddhism," then we can no longer say that the scripture that Gen Nakamura claimed to be the oldest is the basis of Buddhism.
Not all of Gen Nakamura's teachings were wrong, of course, but according to the latest research, a much different Buddhism is now open to us than in the past. I was struck by the fact that even Gen Nakamura's theory cannot be accepted uncritically. At the same time, I was deeply moved by the fact that this is how learning progresses.
Elsewhere in the book, you will see Buddha's relationship to Indian society at the time, in light of the latest research. In the latter half of the book, Buddha's thought itself is also explained, so it is recommended to get an overall picture of early Buddhism.
I found this book very stimulating to learn about the latest research in Buddhist studies and how it differs from the Buddhist studies of the past. I would highly recommend this work.
The above is "Baba Noritoshi's "Early Buddhism: Tracing Buddha's Thought" - A recommended introduction to primitive Buddhism that reflects the latest research.
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