Altruism and Reality-Review by Franco
Description
Śāntideva (fl. first half of the eighth century?) is generally acknowledged as one of the most important Madhyamakas in India, yet the philosophical aspects of his lengthy poem Bodhicaryāvatāra have drawn little attention from modern scholars. To the best of my knowledge Williams's work is the first book-length scholarly study devoted exclusively to Śāntideva's philosophy and as such it deserves our attention and appreciation. The book consists of five chapters; each forms an independent essay and, buddhistically enough, they are not meant to form a whole. Nevertheless, two principal concerns are apparent throughout the book. The first is the variety of interpretations of the BCA mainly by Tibetan commentators, which reflects what happened to Madhyamaka ideas when they reached Tibet. Williams's second concern is a critical philosophical interpretation of some key verses of the text. Each chapter centres on a verse or a small group of verses from the philosophical chapters (8-9) of the BCA which Williams submits to critical philosophical analysis; he then reflects on the consequences of the arguments, compares them to modern (mainly British) philosophical doctrines, and does not hesitate to discard them when he considers them to be faulty or unconvincing in this light. It is unfortunate, however, that Williams's philosophical interest is not matched by a philologically founded and historically sensitive understanding of Śāntideva's text. (Franco, "Review," 123) Read more here
