Reviews Of Diffeent Books

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

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REVIEWS
explanation of the efficacy of foreign rites according to the religious tradition of the believers in Krsna/Bhagavān. Oberhammer explains Hacker's interpretation of these two passages of the Bhagavadgita on the basis of his theological view that inclusivism is characteristic for Indian religious traditions, but is totally and fundamentally excluded and impossible in the Christian tradition. According to Hacker, the Fathers adopted the practice of utilization (chrésis, usus iustus), in which elements of foreign traditions are adopted only after having been transformed and reoriented.
Oberhammer points out that inclusivism is typical for the growth of the "Offenbarungskorpora" of Hinduistic traditions. Characteristic in this context is the relativist attitude which manifests itself in the process of incorporating foreign elements in one's own tradition. According to Oberhammer the possibility of inclusivistic forms of thought depends on the specific nature of the experience of transcendence. He writes: "Die religiösen Traditionen des Hinduismus bleiben grundsätzlich offen für die Aufnahme neuer, heilsvermittelnder Mythisierungen der Transzendenz, wobei dieser grundsätzlichen Offenheit als charakteristische 'Denkform' das Phänomen des Inklusivismus entspricht" (p. 113).
This little booklet is a beautiful tribute to the inspiring force of Hacker's ideas. It would be tempting to continue the discussion of his ideas on inclusivism and usus iustus. For instance, much attention has been paid by the contributors to the problem of whether or not inclusivism is exclusive to the Indian tradition. One could also put the question as to whether or not usus iustus is exclusive to the Christian tradition. What Hacker writes about early Buddhism (see above p. 000) corresponds exactly to his definition of usus iustus. Oberhammer refers to the fact that Hacker's inclusivism allows for the transformation of foreign elements in the case of "Inklusivismus der Stärke" (p. 105). It then becomes very difficult to draw a line between inclusivism and usus iustus.
NOTES
1 Ancient Buddhism in Japan, vol. I (Leiden, 1935), pp. 224-225. See also Masaharu Anesaki, History of Japanese Religion (London, 1930), p. 137; Sir Charles Eliot, Japanese Buddhism (London, 1935), p. 242; William R. LaFleur, The Karma of Words (Berkeley, 1983), p. 12. The honji-suijaku doctrine is studied in the following monographs: Alicia Matsunaga, The Buddhist Philosophy of Assimilation; The Historical Development of the Honji-suijaku Theory (Tokyo, 1969); Maruyama Shuichi, Honji-suijaku (in Japanese) (Tokyo, 1974). According to Alicia Matsunaga, "by the early part of the twelfth century or near the end of the Fujiwara period, the systematized relationships of honji-suijaku were set forth" (op. cit., p. 231).
John S. Strong, The Legend of King Aśoka. A Study and Translation of the Asokāvadāna. Princeton, N. J., Princeton University Press, 1983. xii, 336 pp. $37.50.
In the first part of his book John S. Strong presents an exegesis of the Asoka legend in five chapters: 1. The Legend and Its Background; 2. Dirt and Dharma: Kingship in the Aso kävadana; 3. King and Layman: Asoka's Relationship to the Buddhist Community; 4. Asoka and the Buddha; 5. Asoka: Master of Good Means and Merit Maker. In his study of the Asoka legend, Jean Przyluski examined the growth of the legend and its relation to local Buddhist communities. Przyluski made a great use of Chinese sources and translated in its entirety the A-yü-wang chuan (Taisho no. 2042). 1 In 1979 Gen'ichi Yamazaki published a very detailed study of the Asoka legend, making use of Chinese, Indian and Tibetan sources, and the studies of Japanese and Western scholars.2 Yamazaki's work seems to have remained completely
Indo-Iranian Journal 29 (1986)