Reviews Of Diffeent Books

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

Page 15

REVIEWS
although without pointing out that, to say the least, Zimmer's opinion is not shared by many scholars. Important for Indian studies is Ninian Smart's article "The importance of diasporas" (pp. 288-297), in which he examines the effects of Hindu diaspora on religious developments.
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Two other articles must be mentioned, although they relate to Chinese and Japanese religion. Anna Seidel treats of the resurrection of the body in Taoism: "Post-mortem immortality - or: the Taoist resurrection of the body" (pp. 223-237). Michael Pye examines the attitude of Shinran Shönin (1173-1262), the founder of Shin Buddhism, towards the concept of thisworldly benefits (genzeriyaku): "This-wordly benefits in Shin Buddhism" (pp. 192-202).
The only negative comment which one must make with regard to this volume concerns the many misprints which one would not expect to find in such a publication.
Australian National University
J. W. DE JONG
Eli Franco, Perception, knowledge and disbelief. A Study of Jayarasi's Scepticism (Alt- und Neu-indische Studien, Band 35). Stuttgart, Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH., 1987. IV, 584 pp. DM 58,-.
Jayarasi's Tattvopaplavasimha "The lion which annihilates [all] principles" is the only text of the Lokayata or Cärväka school which has been preserved. The only manuscript known so far dates from the end of the 13th century and was discovered by Pt. Sukhlalji Sanghavi and Pt. Becherdas Doshi in 1926. Pt. Sukhlalji Sanghavi and Rasiklal C. Parikh published the text in 1940 as volume 87 of Gaekwad's Oriental Series.
The TUS (Tattvopaplavasimha) comprises 14 chapters of which the first six have been translated by Eli Franco. In his introduction he examines first the relation of Jayarasi to traditional Lokäyata which was materialistic and recognised only one means of valid cognition, i.e. perception (pratyakṣam ekam pramaṇam). Jayaräsi was not a materialist, but a radical sceptic who rejected even perception as a means of valid cognition. Franco points out that "there is no doubt that Jayarasi regarded himself as a follower of Brhaspati, the guru of the gods and legendary founder of the Lokayata" (p. 4), although he boasted in the concluding verses of the TUS to have discovered new arguments which did not occur to Bṛhaspati.
Sanghavi and Parikh came to the conclusion that Jayaraśi had lived in the eighth century A.D. This dating is confirmed by Franco. He remarks
Indo-Iranian Journal 32: 1989.