A History of Indian Buddhism , the summation of a lifetime of research on Indian Buddhism, is an exceptionally comprehensive discussion of Indian Buddhism, with detailed chapters on its history, doctrine and bibliography. The text also presents some of the debates on Indian Buddhism that have occurred in the Japanese academic community and emphasizes issues that have often been treated only in passing in India and the West. Hirakawa's extensive use of Chinese translations of Indian Buddhist sources and his references to Japanese studies of these works are particularly noteworthy. Finally, the book includes an extensive bibliography of Western scholarship compiled by the translator.

A History of Indian Buddhism, Hirakawa Akira, Translated and Edited by Paul Groner, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Hardcover, 402 pages, $27.00

Hirakawa Akira is professor emeritus of Indian philosophy at Tokyo University. In 1983 he was elected president of the Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies, the most important academic organization for Buddhist studies in Japan. Hirakawa is the author or editor of over 20 books and 240 scholarly articles and reviews on Buddhism. He is current directing the compilation of a Chinese-Sanskirt dictionary of Buddhist terms. ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR

Paul Groner holds a doctorate in buddhist studies from Yale University. He studied under Hirakawa Akira for several years in Japan and has worked with him on a number of projects. Professor Groner is on the faculty of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. Among his publications is Saich�: The Establistment of the Japanese Tendai School.

Translator's Preface vii

Author's Preface xv

Abbreviations xvii

Introduction 1
PART ONE:EARLY BUDDHISM

Chapter 1.Indian Religion at the Time of the Buddha 13

Chapter 2.The Life of the Buddha 20

Chapter 3.Early Buddhist Doctrin 38

Chapter 4.The Organization of the Order 60

Chapter 5.The Establishment of the Early Buddhist Canon 69

Chapter 6.The Development of the Buddhist Order 76

Chapter 7. The Buddhism of King A�oka 95
PART TWO:NIK�YA BUDDHISM

Chapter 8.The Development of Nik�ya Buddhism 105

Chapter 9. Abhidharma Literature 127

Chapter 10.The Organization of the Dharmas in the Abhidharma 139

Chapter 11.Buddhist Cosmology and the Theory of Karma 170