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Buddhism: The First Millennium (Soka Gakkai History of Buddhism)

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The history of the Buddhist religion during the centuries following the death of its founder, Shakyamuni, is as fascinating and important as it is problematic. Little documentary evidence remains, but it was in this period that the religion split into its two major branches, the Maha sanghika and the Theravada, and spread beyond India to Central Asia and China in the north and Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia to the south.

In Buddhism, The First Millennium, the author pieces together the fabric of events from the distant past with insightful conjecture to bring to the surface the basic pattern of how and why Buddhism came to be a major world religion--spreading into Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Japan--helped along by exceptional rulers like the Indian king Ashoka and the Greek philosopher-king Menander and monks and lay believers like Vimalakirti, Nargarjuna and Vasubandu.

The author shows the relevance of the teaching and spirit of the Buddha, not only to Indian society as it was then, but to the world and humankind as they are now.

This book, "Buddhism - The First Millenium" is the second in a series of 3 books that chronicle the history of Buddhism. Much of the history of Buddhism during its first millenium is unlear. A major effort to formulate the Buddhist canon took place not long after Shakyamuni (Siddhartha Gautama) died, at what is known as the First Council. Subsequently, there arose differences of interpretation and a schism between the monastic community and the lay believers. Nevertheless, Buddhism survived and developed.

It came into contact with the West as early as the period when the latter was under the influence of the Greek states and it also spread to Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Japan. Contributing to this process were certain individuals - exceptional rulers like king Ashoka of India and the Greek philosopher-king Menander. Other include monks like Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu. Daisaku Ikeda pieces together the fabric of events from the distant past with insightful conjecture to bring to the surface the basic pattern of how and why Buddhism came to be a major world religion.

A 1977 overview translated in 1982 (to be reprinted in August 2009), this welcome history summarizes early Buddhist attempts to formulate a canon, institute practices, and solve disputes. Ikeda constantly laments the tendency of monks towards argument, but he reminds us how, unlike most religions or ideologies, debates ensued rather than for those who refused to compromise or submit to authority. For, Buddhism departs from centralized, external rulers by encouraging the seeker to look within to find the same teaching that the historical Buddha insisted can be found that leads to freedom.

A freedom based more on interior realization rather than social revolution has unfairly caused Westerners to stereotype Buddhism as nihilistic, passive, and disengaged from life. While the monastic tendencies early on strove to control the dharma's compilation and interpretation as it passed from oral to written form, their understandable worry about the dilution of the original message did push much of the control over the dharma out of the reach of lay people. Ikeda, as a leader of Soka Gakkai, a Japanese movement determined to bring the dharma into everyday, non-clerical dissemination, seeks the same tolerance and respect within the Buddhists who, in the Mahasamghika and later the Mahayana version, followed their reformist zeal.

The saga reminded me often of how St Francis of Assisi late in his life struggled against those followers who bickered over how the Rule was to be practiced; analogies to the Reformation certainly also will emerge for readers studying the dogmatist vs. revisionist tensions that may have led to schisms, but at least bloodless ones rather than burning alive heretics. This lesson teaches us all!

Ikeda, speaking of Christian parallels, considers suggestive if largely unverifiable ones that show how the spread of Aramaic throughout the Persian empire may have allowed influences to travel from India to Palestine at the time of Jesus. Even if indirectly, common conclusions about lofty wisdom, "doctrinal breadth and depth, and this invariable rejection of class distinctions and narrow racial and national concepts" can "qualify Buddhism and Christianity as world religions." (75) As in the previous volume (also reviewed by me) "The Living Buddha: An Interpretative Biography" in this newly launched (2008-9) series, Ikeda in Burton Watson's efficient translation employs "religion" for the non-theistic philosophy of Buddhism, but this does correspond to common if not technically precise usage among Westerners.

With the stories of King Ashoka, great reformer and disseminator of the dharma to even the West within Alexander's heirs in Hellenistic Asia Minor, Ikeda makes a subtle argument. Those familiar with Soka Gakkai in its Japanese manifestation as not only a social movement but a political party may recognize what's alluded to only here. Ikeda uses Ashoka's example to show how a leader can embody the dharma while still allowing others within a polity to follow freedom of religion; the dharma's universality remains untainted by reform, rather it is perfected as people bring Buddhist ethics into the world beyond the monasteries.

Naganesa's dialogue with the Greek-rooted King Menander of Bactria, in the "Questions of King Milinda," shows the power of dialogue between Eastern wisdom and Western reason as standards by which we judge truth. (A recent comparison: see my review of Jean-Francois Revel & Matthieu Ricard's "The Monk & the Philosopher.") Still, the question of how "transmigration" differs from rebirth or reincarnation deserved more elucidation.

Another interpretative crux, raised in my review of Ikeda's Buddha biography, also enters this sequel. The Therevada version of Buddhism favored monasticism, inward direction, a negative view of what keeps the person from freedom, and a liking for the pattern of earlier Hinduism repeated in the "arhat," the realized-one who as a "voice-hearer" finds enlightenment, if of a lower level. The Mahayana encourage the outward direction, the goal of a bodhisattva that after being freed stays in future incarnations to help others towards "salvation" (another word taken in this translation that may need caution for a Westerner's understanding within Buddhism).

The move from the Therevada's negatively tinged escape from this life's snares into a Mahayana embrace of the possibility of perfection by not individual endurance and renunciation so much as collective advancement may reflect again Ikeda's perspective. The Japanese title, after all's, "My View of Buddhism." Actively overcoming obstacles, bettering society, and enacting suffering as a means to rid one's self of its drawbacks give Ikeda's view energy and impact. Later chapters may flag somewhat by comparison with the historical ones about the dharma's spread, but the sincerity with which Ikeda carefully sifts legend from fact, textual claims from enduring revelation in the Lotus Sutra, do reveal the passion and the clarity of his encounter with the roots of his practice.

The book's appended with a helpful glossary and throughly cross-referenced index. Nearly all of the sources, however, are documented only in Japanese; I'd have loved to be able to read some of these that suggest fascinating research about earlier East-West contacts. In the meantime, those of us lacking Japanese can learn about the often overlooked attempts to widen the message of Shakyamuni's dharma to Asia and even beyond, as gleaned from scraps of chronicles, recovered carvings, and massive heaps of textual compendiums.

Spiritual leader Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Buddhist lay organization Soka Gakkai, presents two volumes of "The Soka Gakkai History of Buddhism" series, offering a carefully researched presentation of what history and testimony have to tell us of the origins and contributions of the Buddhist faith. "The Living Buddha: An Interpretive Biography" is both a straightforward chronicle of the Buddha's life, and also an inspirational testimony meant to aid the reader in freeing oneself from suffering. "The Living Buddha" does not treat the Buddha as a distant legend, but rather as a living, breathing person who rose above the harsh difficulties of his day and age to deliver a universally crucial message, that remains immediately and directly relevant thousands of years later. "Buddhism: The First Millennium" chronicles the rise of a religion that had its origins in an era when few were inclined to keep detailed historical records. It wasn't until the First Council, long after the death of the Buddha, that any major effort to create the Buddhist cannon took place. "Buddhism: The First Millennium" chronicles Buddhism's spread to Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, as well as the key individuals who helped to spread its message, including the Indian king Ashoka, the Greek philosopher-king Menander, and monks and lay believers such as Vimalakirti, Nagarjuna, and Vasubandhu. Both volumes are thoroughly accessible to reader of all backgrounds, invaluable contributions to Buddhist Studies shelves, and highly recommended.

I am commenting on the Review by Avery Morrow who terms this book by Daisaku ikeda as dissastrous and in the next breath proclaims himself to be such a learned scholar that he heaps sarcasm on SGI also.How does Amazon permit such Reviews to even be printed .Its ok to give a negative review but what Avery is indulging in is not Buddhism -that is respecting the dignity and faith of millions of SGI members.Avery seems to be a frustrated person in life and doesnt quite appreciate the growth of Soka gakkai.I would request him to stick to meaningful criticism and not indulge in this kind of a childish and immature response .Criticism doesnt mean being direspectful to Soka gakkai members!

arrived promptly and as promised. was in excellent condition and well packaged. a thoroughly satisfactory transaction. five stars to the vendor and my thanks!

This book is an excellent summary of the history of buddhism with a focus upon the practices of Nichiren Daishonin. Ikeda has a wonderful writing style with emphasis upon historical facts and schools of buddhism.

If you are a member of SGI, ignore me and buy this book. It'll look great next to your 10,000 other books by Master Ikeda!

If you aren't, keep reading... this book is trash from start to finish. The reason it was written (ghostwritten, I should say) is because SGI members think Daisaku Ikeda must have perfect knowledge of all Buddhist history, so of course they had to start from the beginning, even though most Japanese Buddhists don't know anything about Early Buddhism. The result is a disaster zone cribbed from a half-dozen Japanese-language books listed at the end; no footnotes are used.

Here's an example of the ridiculousness: chapter 2 is entitled "The Theravada and the Mahasanghika". These two schools didn't even exist at the same time!! It is about the Second Buddhist Council, but it keeps on using the anachronism "Theravada" for Sthaviravada. The word in the original Japanese is "jouzabu", which can be either. I guess you could fault the translator for that, but look at this chestnut: the mark of the bodhisattva as decided in the 2nd century (87) is said to be "shakubuku". Oy vey... that's a 14th century Nichiren term, kids.

Look, just don't bother with this book. For a Mahayana look at Early Buddhism, read Light of Liberation: A History of Buddhism in India (Crystal Mirror Series, Vol. 8). You'll enjoy it a lot more.

This book is mis-titled. It is actually about a group of dissident monks who found it inconvenient to eat in only half the day, to wear only three garments, to be stopped from collecting gold in their bowls and from receiving the estates and permanent buildings of those laity who wished to bequeath them to them. These chaps seceded from the Buddha's path and ultimately created a body of commentary on the Buddha's teachings indicating the mistakes he had made and incidentally setting-up some untested people in replacement of the Buddha - that is the commentators who had detected the Buddha's errors - Vimalakirti, Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu and others.

This is a `how to' book. How to set up your own religion. It describes the steps. You start with a superman-type, say Gandhiji, who inevitably enjoys the respect of the entire planet and interpret his writings in the appropriate way, incidentally promoting the virtues of the interpreters. You can try this with John Denver or Diego Maradona, as has already been done (church of Elvis Presley the Divine). As a generalisation it may be that anyone who evokes an emotional response qualifies for God, promoters please note.

I must confirm what you already suspect. I venerate the Buddha; his achievement is a rare event in our species. I hope it is an evolutionary thing and enlightenment will become increasingly common but enlightenment cannot grow by natural selection :) - it has to continually renew itself with each generation. That takes a general improvement in education to achieve and we have made some progress in that respect. Look forward to more Buddha's in the future

I follow the Theravada, or as Mr Ikeda calls it, the hinayana, denoting the Buddha's achievement was of lesser consequence than that of the dissenting monks. I found that insistence irritating and it is unsubstantiated throughout the book. Mr Ikeda tends to make assertions repeatedly until the reader might suppose the assertion is actually established. When he does introduce a bit of real persuasion, that's it - one bit - and you are gambling the farm on it, but he's satisfied and I suppose you should be too.

The arguments are to my mind poorly made and seldom even slightly persuasive. Mr Ikeda's best argument is only hinted at, an inference from his main story - that the Buddha's path is difficult and demanding whilst the Mahayanist can offer his follower saints, heavens and women once he's dead. And he celebrates births, marriages and deaths, expels demons and changes the luck of anyone you like (or dislike). These are valuable services that keep people sane and happy. They're reasonably priced, in fact nothing is asked for them but things tend to get delayed if payment is not offered. That is the value of the Mahayana in society. Perhaps its enough.

In his conclusion, Ikeda says western psychology is studying Vasubanthu's alaya consciousness hypothesis. If that's true, we are in trouble. Its bad enough having astronomers inventing dark matter; we don't want the psychologists doing the same with non-existent states of consciousness. They will become as confused as the Mahayanists are. If you know the Buddha's insight, this book will be quite useful for you in honing the arguments that refute the absurdities of the Mahayana and you can do it one by one so its really persuasive, unlike Mr Ikeda.

This book was published donkey's years ago and I have only just got round to reading it although its been on the shelf a long time. I feel ashamed that my delay may have allowed more people to be confused by Mr Iekda. I have given Mr Ikeda one star as a review cannot be published without it.