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APPENDIX I
death being otherwise inextricably connected with life. Ahimsā therefore is proper to the renouncer of the world, its opposite belongs to the sphere of the man-in-the-world. The interaction, as L. Dumont has pointed out, between these two spheres (in Indian terms nivetti and pravrtti) seems to be central to Hinduism (past as well as present) (cf. L. Dumont, ‘Le renoncement dans les religions de l'Inde', Arch. de Sociologie des Rel., no. 7 (1959) 45-69). If I am right this may explain the persistent juxtaposition of the irreconcilable opposites. At the same time it would seem that the search for meaning may deliver a clue to the problem of origin as well.
These few and necessarily sketchy reflections cannot possibly do justice to the author's many interesting and detailed observations (e.g. on the supposed Buddhist and Jain origins of ahimsā; Buddhism and Jainism are shown, together with brahmanism, to participate in a common movement). The reviewer's reflections are meant as a tribute to the stimulating quality of this interesting study. Professor Alsdorf has given us a most welcome contribution to our knowledge of Indian religious concepts and practices.
J.C. Heesterman, Leiden
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