Des Etudes Bouddhiques En Europe

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided text, "Notes sur l'état actuel des études bouddhiques en Europe" by Jacques May, focusing on its content regarding Buddhist studies in various European countries:

Overview:

This article, written by Jacques May, provides an overview of the state of Buddhist studies in Europe as of the time of its writing (likely the early 1960s, given the publication dates mentioned). May admits to having lost some direct contact with European Buddhist scholars due to his professional commitments but aims to offer a summary based on recent publications and his knowledge. He highlights key institutions, prominent scholars, and significant research areas across several European countries.

Key European Centers and Scholars:

• Scandinavia:

  • Sweden: The continuation of the Saddaniti publication after the death of Professor Helmer Smith is noted. Nils Simonsson's important thesis on the methods of Tibetan translators, analyzing the Saddharmapundarika and Suvarnaprabhāsasūtra, is mentioned as the first volume of a promised series.
  • Denmark: Erik Haarh is recognized as a leading European expert on the history of Tibetan Canon editions, having presented his work at the 1954 Cambridge Congress.
  • Pali Studies: The Critical Pali Dictionary resumed publication in 1960 after an interruption since 1948.

• England:

  • London is identified as the primary center for Buddhist studies, particularly at the School of Oriental Studies (SOAS), which boasts the best library in Europe for these studies.
  • David Snellgrove is praised as a valuable Tibetanist and Sanskritist, known for his edition of the Hevajratantra and his fieldwork in Nepal, gathering new data on Tibetan-influenced Buddhism there.
  • John Brough (University of London) has published a well-commented edition of a Sanskrit Dharmapada.
  • Edward Conze, working from retirement, continues his extensive research on Prajñāpāramitā literature, publishing three significant works, including a comprehensive overview of its chronology and development, and two translations (Aṣṭasāhasrikā and a compilation based on Pañcavimśatisāhasrikā, Satasāhasrikā, and Aṣṭādaśasāhasrikā).
  • Richard Robinson (University of Toronto) presented a substantial thesis at the University of London on the Mādhyamika philosopher Sêng-chao, focusing on his logic and comparing it to Nāgārjuna's, utilizing symbolic logic and translating key documents.
  • The Pali Text Society is actively reprinting texts and translations from the Vinayapiṭaka and Suttapiṭaka, though the Abhidhammapiṭaka remains stagnant. Their Concordance to the Pali Canon faced interruptions but had seen regular fascicle publication.
  • May notes that while Oxford and Cambridge have scholars involved in Buddhist studies, London is the dominant center, with Conze being an exception working in the provinces.

• The Netherlands:

  • The Indo-Iranian Journal is a significant platform for Buddhist studies, publishing several relevant articles.
  • J. W. de Jong (University of Leiden) published a biography of Milarepa.
  • E. Zürcher's monumental two-volume thesis on the expansion of Buddhism in China is highlighted as a landmark work.

• West Germany:

  • Study centers have reformed post-war.
  • Marburg University houses important Orientalist collections. Professor Johannes Nobel continues his work on the Suvarnaprabhasasutra.
  • Göttingen: Professor Waldschmidt is publishing Sanskrit texts from Central Asia.
  • Hamburg: An academic school is forming around Professor Alsdorf.
  • Bonn: A school is developing around Professor Paul Hacker. May recalls two Bonn doctoral theses: one on the meanings of "samkharu" in the Pali canon, and another on the biography of the Tibetan ecclesiastic Nag dbań blo bzań chos Idan.

• Austria:

  • Professor Erich Frauwallner in Vienna is working in relative isolation but is actively publishing his Geschichte der indischen Philosophie and contributing extensively to the Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Süd- und Ostasiens, which he founded, including a significant synthesis of his Dignāga research.

• Italy:

  • The Istituto per il medio ed estremo Oriente (Ismeo), founded by Professor Tucci, is considered the most important European center for Tibetan studies. It publishes the "Serie Orientale Roma," which includes Buddhist texts edited and translated by scholars like Edward Conze and Tucci himself. A recent contribution to Mahāyāna studies from Ismeo is Gnoli's edition of Dharmakirti's Pramanavarttikam.

• France:

  • Paris is a significant hub.
  • Paul Demiéville is the doyen of French orientalists, highly respected for his work on Chinese Dhyāna and his comprehensive overview of Chinese Buddhism in classical India.
  • Marcelle Lalou is the sole editor of the Bibliographie bouddhique, praised for her exceptional competence, diligence, and dedication. This bibliography is crucial for European Buddhist scholars, especially for accessing Japanese publications through the collaboration of Professors Yamaguchi and Nagao.
  • Jean Filliozat (Collège de France), though increasingly focused on Tamil civilization and South Indian religions due to administrative duties with the Institut français d'indologie and the École française d'Extrême-Orient, has contributed significantly to Indian Buddhism. The Pondicherry institute's library is noted as a resource for Sinhalese Buddhism.
  • André Bareau (École pratique des hautes études), a student of Filliozat and Demiéville, has studied the organization of modern Buddhist communities in Ceylon, publishing his findings. He also works on early Buddhism from Chinese sources.
  • Jacques Gernet (Sorbonne), a student of Demiéville, published a thesis demonstrating exceptional knowledge of difficult original sources, though he is increasingly shifting towards economics.
  • Lilian Silburn (École pratique des hautes études), a student of Louis Renou and Paul Mus, published a thesis in 1955 analyzing the philosophical thought of India, particularly the continuity from Brahmanism to early and late Buddhist thought, referencing Dignāga and his school, and the teachings of Paul Mus and Sylvain Lévi.
  • Belgium: At Louvain, Canon Etienne Lamotte continues the tradition of Louis de La Vallée Poussin. He is publishing monumental works like the translation of the Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra and the Histoire du bouddhisme indien. He is also translating the Vimalakirtinirdeśasūtra and studying the Avatamsakasūtra. His student, Hubert Durt, is in Kyoto and specializes in the history of early Buddhism.

• Switzerland:

  • A new academic environment is emerging around Constantin Regamey, a scholar of Polish origin who sought refuge in Switzerland. Despite unfavorable conditions for Oriental studies in Switzerland (lack of tradition, limited libraries, fragmented academic funding), an school is forming around him.
  • Regamey's student, Paul Horsch, is a Privat-docent in Indology at the University of Zurich, and there's hope that the existing Chinese chair will facilitate an Indian studies chair.
  • Another student, Père Vincent Python, is preparing an edition-translation of the Upalipariprcchā.
  • May himself has translated chapters of the Prasannapada.
  • Regamey is collaborating with Mlle Lalou on a critical edition of the Kõrandavyuha.
  • The establishment of the Swiss National Science Foundation offers potential benefits for Oriental studies, with the first fellowship recipient sent to the Orient for further training.
  • Regamey is also re-engaging with Polish Orientalism, contributing to a memorial volume for Stanislas Schayer.

• Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union:

  • Eastern European countries are making significant efforts in cultural development, including Orientalism, with a focus on linguistics and archaeology rather than religions and philosophies.
  • In the Soviet Union, significant excavations are underway, as observed by Paul Demiéville during the Moscow Congress.

Conclusion:

The article provides a snapshot of a vibrant but geographically dispersed field of Buddhist studies in Europe, highlighting the efforts of individual scholars and institutions to advance research across various traditions and languages of Buddhism. The focus is on philological and historical research, with notable contributions to Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan Buddhist texts, as well as emerging work on Chinese Buddhism.