Chandi Borobudur

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THE JOURNAL OF THEINTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OFBUDDHIST STUDIES

E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F

A . K. NarainUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

E D I T O R SHeinz Bechert Leon Hurvitz

Universitat Gottingen FRG University of British ColumbiaVancouver, Canada

Lewis Lancaster A . W . MacDonaldUniversity of California, Berkeley, USA Universiti de Paris X, Nanterre, France

B. J. Stavisky Alex WaymanWCNILKR, Moscow, USSR Columbia University, New York, USA

A S S O C I A T E E D I T O R

Stephen BeyerUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

Volume 2 1979 Number 1


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T A BL E O F C O N T E N T S

I . A R T I C L E S1 . The Mongo l Khans and Ch inese Buddh i sm and Tao i sm, by

Sechin Jagchid2. From Madhyamika to Yogacara, an Analysis of MMK,XX IV. 18 an d MV, 1.1-2, by Gadjin m. Nagao3 . Dynamic Libera t ion in Yogacara Buddhism, by Alan

Sponberg4 . Yogacara and the Buddhis t Logic ians , by A lex Wayman

I I . S H O R T P A P E R S1. Sambodhi in ASoka's 8th Rock Edict , by A . L. Basham2 . Can Medi ta t ional Prac t ice be Measured? A Report on aQuant i ta t ive Survey , by Jacques Maquet3 . Nirvana and Metaphysica l Exper ience , by Ismael Q uiles

I I I . B O O K R E V IE W S A N D N O T I C E SReviews:

1 . Wo r l d C o n q u e ro r a n d Wo r l d R e n o u n c e r , by S.J. Tambiah2 . Compara t ive E th ic s in Hindu and Buddh i s t Trad i t ions , byRoderick Hindery.3 . Mahayana Buddh i s t Med i t a t ion : Theory and Prac t i ce , by

Minoru Kiyota, assisted by Elvin W. Jones4. C h a n d i B o r o b u d u r : A M o n u m e n t o f M a n k i n d , by Dr.

SoekmonoObituary:

1. Paul Demieville, by A lexander W. Macdonald

818491

99103106108

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volume, a worthy tribute to the memory of Richard H. Robinson, whose untimely death deprived us of his further contribution to the advancement ofBuddhist studies.Joseph M. KitagawaUniversity of Chicago

Chandi Borobudur: A Monument of Mankind by Dr. Soekmono. Assen-Amsterdam-Paris: T he UNESCO Press, 1976. Pp. Preface + 5 3 .This short monograph could have been a major contribution to the studyof Buddhism and Buddhist archeology, as the author is an eminent Indonesian archeologist who has de dicated a large pa rt of his life to the study andreclamation of Chandi Borobudur. Unfortunately, the book fails to meet itspotential. The initial problem is one of scope. The work discusses too specifica topic for the general public, yet it lacks the substance needed by the scholar,either Buddhologist or archeologist. One gets the feeling that this is a progress report, published to placate a bureaucracy by proving that money expended on the restoration project was well spent.Dr. Soekmono's book fails in three major areas: technical quality, style,and content. While paper quality, type style, and binding are all very good,typographical errors are frequent enough to be a minor irritant. The blackand white plates are too small and a re un dere xpose d. Illustrations lack claritybecause the subject field was too broad. O the r p hotog raphs are superfluous,i.e., draftsmen at work, chemists in the lab, etc. They add little to our understanding of the process of restoration. The color plates are better, butagain there is often a lack of definition. Those plates which show the stateof deterioration, both current and by comparison with 1910, are extremely

valuable, however, and more should have been included. Line drawings ofthe ground plan and cross section of the monument also are excellent. However, the inclusion of an add itional map situating Chand i B orob udu r on Javawith the map showing the monument and its environs would have been useful.T h e auth or's prose flows well, but his failure to footnote governm ent docum ents a nd to cite full names frustrates the serious researche r. For a scholarly work these are serious omissions. In addition, a work of so few pagesshould not suffer from redundancy, yet the reader constantly experiencesdeja vu because the book lacks thematic organization. The reliefs carved onthe base of the monument are described in detail on page 18, and again afew pages later. In Chapter II, the author twice mentions J. G, De Casparis'theo ry th a t the nam e B or ob ud ur i s a s impl i fi ca tion of"Bhumisambharabhudhara," denoting a sanctuary for ancestor worship, andthat while many scholars disagree with this interp retati on , it is the m ost plausible theory yet to be advanced. Finally, the p arag raphs entitled "Rediscoveryand Rescue," and "Past Efforts" impart the same information.

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In some instances the English is confusing or clumsy. For example, onpage 21, describing the birth of the Buddha in the Lalitavistara series ofpanels, he writes, "He then descended on earth, and in the shape of a whiteelephant with six tusks he penetrated Queen Maya's right womb." The author, of course, means right side. These are but a few examples, and areminor points of style, but collectively they detract from the work.

If this monograph were seminal or highly innovative, technical difficultiesan d stylistic prob lems could be igno red. Co ntent, how ever, is also a problem.The author devotes four pages to the sub-section titled "Buddhism," and inthese four pages he attempts to summarize Buddhist doctrine. The resultingcondensation and simplification causes him to make generalizations whichare misleading. For example, he defines nirvana as "absolute non-existence"(p. 7). He further states that in Buddhism avidya, or ignorance, is the primary cause of all suffering, "Hence, Buddhism sets no value on rituals, noron penance" (p. 7). These are but a few examples of the author's failure todifferentiate between Buddhism as a philosophy and as a popular religion,between the various traditions and theoretical schools, and between lay andmonastic Buddhism. The result is an unsatisfactory syncretism.

Dr. Soek mono's work is not w ithout w orth, how ever. H e is at his best whenhe describes the various theories about the name and function of the monument. The tracing of the rediscovery of the monument, past and presentefforts at restoration, and the monument's place in ancient and modern Javanese history is a concise introduction to this important subject.

Douglas J. Rasmussen

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