Andrew SkiltonReseñas
Autor de A Concise History of Buddhism
Reseñas
Este sitio utiliza cookies para ofrecer nuestros servicios, mejorar el rendimiento, análisis y (si no estás registrado) publicidad. Al usar LibraryThing reconoces que has leído y comprendido nuestros términos de servicio y política de privacidad. El uso del sitio y de los servicios está sujeto a estas políticas y términos.
I also think Skilton wanted to avoid the mistake of writing a teleological history, in which all the wrong ideas fell by the wayside and the great and glorious *insert contemporary Buddhist sect* way triumphed. In this he succeeded, but it was at the cost of cohesion. I think it would have been helpful to have a couple of central theses - eg. that non-duality is central to Buddhism, that the role of compassion has been diminished, etc - and then structure the book around determining the truth of those. Even if that approach wasn't taken, something was required to tie the whole thing together.
There are also problems with Skilton's writing, which at the sentence level is usually fairly clear, but which at the paragraph, chapter and book levels leaves a bit to be desired. The most obvious example is that on page 149, in the chapter on Buddhism in Sri Lanka, the book says "The form of Buddhism that Mahinda brought was apparently...." Which would be fine if we'd been talking heaps about Mahinda, but in fact he was only referred to once before in the book, in a single sentence on page 55. This is an awfully long time to expect a reader to keep a peripheral actor in their head, but such missteps are not uncommon. The book asks too much even of a serious reader.
Having said all that, Skilton deserves praise for tackling a subject few others have and he certainly helped elucidate the historical origins of Zen, which is the Buddhist faith that most interests me. This book is a tough read, but would make an excellent reference either for writing an essay or to have around when you need help remembering the details of some long-distant split.