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184 REVIEWS Les divisions dans les textes sanskrits (pp. 487–518). Louis Renou faisait partie du comite de redaction depuis la fondation de l’Indo- Iranian Journal. L’article le plus celebre dans cette section est celui sur la structure du kavya (pp. 631–744) dont la haute qualite est louee eloquemment dans l’emouvante notice d’Emile Benveniste reproduite au debut du premier tome. La quatrieme section est consacree a la poese (vedique et sanskrite) alors que la cinquieme section comprend des articles sur un grand nombre de themes qui vont de la maison vedique (pp. 819–842) a une etude d’une secte jain contemporaine, celle des Terapanthıs (pp. 919–927). Christine Chojnacki a eu la tache difficile de compiler les trois index: I. Auteurs et textes indiens, pp. 935–938; II. Formes et mots sanskrits, pp. 939–1037; III. Notions, pp. 1039–1052. Dans l’index des formes et mots sanskrits les mots sanskrits sont suivis d’une traduction ou de l’information donnee par Renou. En 1978 Charles Malamoud publia une collection de dix-sept etudes de Renou: L’Inde fondamentale (Paris, Hermann) dont une seule a ete reprise: Sur les traits linguistiques generaux de la poesie du Veda (pp. 747–754). Esperons qu’il ne faudra pas attendre de longues annees pour voir paraıtre d’autres collections d’articles de Renou. Comme le remarquent les editeurs de ces deux tomes, les indianistes franc ¸ais n’ont pas ete bien servis en matiere de “Kleine Schriften”. Ceux qui ont ete publies n’ont pas toujours compris les articles les plus importants. Par exemple, le Memorial Sylvain Levi (Paris, 1937) omet tous les articles publies dans le Journal asiatique et le Bulletin de l’Ecole Franc ¸aise d’Extreme-Orient, une lacune qui doit etre remplie. 4 Jansz Crescent J.W. DE JONG Manuka ACT 2603 Australia Eli Franco and Karin Preisendanz (eds.), Beyond Orientalism. The Work of Wilhelm Halbfass and its Impact on Indian and Cross-Cultural Studies (Poznan Studies in the Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities 59). Amsterdam – Atlanta, Rodopi, 1997. XXXV, 673 pp. Paper Hfl. 100,–/US & 52.50/Bound Hfl. 350,–/US$ 180,–. ISSN 0303-8157, ISBN 90-420-0246-6 (bound) 90-420-0240-9 (paper). The plan for this volume was conceived by Leszek Novak who sug- gested publishing a volume containing papers on Halbfass and his work Indo-Iranian Journal 42: 184–186.

Eli Franco and Karin Preisendanz (eds.), Beyond Orientalism. The Work of Wilhelm Halbfass and its Impact on Indian and Cross-Cultural Studies

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Page 1: Eli Franco and Karin Preisendanz (eds.), Beyond Orientalism. The Work of Wilhelm Halbfass and its Impact on Indian and Cross-Cultural Studies

184 REVIEWS

Les divisions dans les textes sanskrits (pp. 487–518). Louis Renoufaisait partie du comit�e de r�edaction depuis la fondation de l’Indo-Iranian Journal. L’article le plus c�el�ebre dans cette section est celuisur la structure duk�avya(pp. 631–744) dont la haute qualit�e est lou�ee�eloquemment dans l’�emouvante notice d’�Emile Benveniste reproduiteau d�ebut du premier tome. La quatri�eme section est consacr�ee �a lapo�ese (v�edique et sanskrite) alors que la cinqui�eme section comprenddes articles sur un grand nombre de th�emes qui vont de la maisonv�edique (pp. 819–842)�a une�etude d’une secte jain contemporaine,celle des Ter�apanth�ıs (pp. 919–927).

Christine Chojnacki a eu la tache difficile de compiler les trois index:I. Auteurs et textes indiens, pp. 935–938; II. Formes et mots sanskrits,pp. 939–1037; III. Notions, pp. 1039–1052. Dans l’index des formeset mots sanskrits les mots sanskrits sont suivis d’une traduction ou del’information donn�ee par Renou.

En 1978 Charles Malamoud publia une collection de dix-sept�etudesde Renou:L’Inde fondamentale(Paris, Hermann) dont une seule a�et�e reprise: Sur les traits linguistiques g�en�eraux de la po�esie du Veda(pp. 747–754). Esp�erons qu’il ne faudra pas attendre de longues ann�eespour voir paraıtre d’autres collections d’articles de Renou. Comme leremarquent les�editeurs de ces deux tomes, les indianistes franc¸ais n’ontpas�et�e bien servis en mati�ere de “Kleine Schriften”. Ceux qui ont�et�epubli�es n’ont pas toujours compris les articles les plus importants. Parexemple, leM�emorial Sylvain L�evi (Paris, 1937) omet tous les articlespubli�es dans le Journal asiatique et le Bulletin de l’�Ecole Franc¸aised’Extreme-Orient, une lacune qui doitetre remplie.

4 Jansz Crescent J.W. DE JONG

Manuka ACT 2603Australia

Eli Franco and Karin Preisendanz (eds.),Beyond Orientalism. TheWork of Wilhelm Halbfass and its Impact on Indian and Cross-CulturalStudies(Pozna_n Studies in the Philosophy of the Sciences and theHumanities59). Amsterdam – Atlanta, Rodopi, 1997. XXXV, 673pp. Paper Hfl. 100,–/US & 52.50/Bound Hfl. 350,–/US$ 180,–. ISSN0303-8157, ISBN 90-420-0246-6 (bound) 90-420-0240-9 (paper).

The plan for this volume was conceived by Leszek Novak who sug-gested publishing a volume containing papers on Halbfass and his work

Indo-Iranian Journal42: 184–186.

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REVIEWS 185

together with critical responses from Halbfass himself. Eli Franco andKarin Preisendanz were able to obtain contributions from no less thantwenty-three scholars. The contributors were asked to take as theirstarting point one or more of Halbfass’ three major books:Indien undEuropa(1981) and its English versionIndia and Europe(1988) (IE),Tradition and Reflection(1991) (TR) andOn Being and What ThereIs (1992) (OB).

The editors deserve full praise for the work achieved by them. Thisvolume shows the importance of the work of Halbfass who in histhree books has treated many fundamental problems. The editors havegrouped the contributions in five sections: 1. Cross-Cultural Encounterand Dialogue; 2. Issues of Comparative Philosophy; 3. Topics in ClassicalPhilosophy; 4. Development and Attitudes in Neo-Hinduism; 5. IndianReligion, Past and Present. Halbfass has responded to all twenty-threecontributions.

In their introduction the editors briefly characterize the work ofHalbfass. They remark that his bookIndien und Europahad a tremendousimpact, not only on Indologists, but also on scholars in philosophy andother fields. According to them in this book Halbfass inaugurates a newtype of comparative philosophizing. The editors point out that Gadamerand Hacker exercised their influence on Halbfass who, however, wasfar from following them uncritically. For instance, his attitude towardsNeo-Hinduism is entirely different from that of Hacker who belongedto the Roman Catholic tradition.

The contributions differ greatly in their approach to Halbfass’ work.Some disagree with him on particular points, others develop ideasbriefly sketched by him. One of the most interesting papers is thatby Ben-Ami Scharfstein who contributes the introductory chapter to acomparative history of world philosophy in which he sketches the maincharacteristics of the three great philosophical traditions, the Indian, theChinese and the European (pp. 235–295). In the first section on cross-cultural encounter and dialogue the most useful contributions are the onesby Klaus Karttunen who points out that the oldest Greek informationon India is not based on Indian sources which only became availablewith Alexander’s campaign, and by Dermot Killingley who describesthe xenological situation in early nineteenth-century Calcutta. In thesecond section one finds the already mentioned article by Scharfsteinand a very lucid article by Srinivasa Rao on the nature of reason in Indiaand the West. In his article “Between Indology and Indian Philosophy”Jitendra Nath Mohanty makes a number of statements which are rightlyrejected by Halbfass. For Joseph O’Leary Heidegger is the lodestar. In

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his response Halbfass states clearly that a dialogue with a thinker likeHeidegger is not possible (cf. p. 310). One arrives at a more solid basis inthe third section which deals with topics in classical Indian philosophy.All six articles in this section and Halbfass’ responses deserve seriousstudy: Jan E. M. Houben, Bhartr.hari’s Perspectivism (1), pp. 317–358;Johannes Bronkhorst, Philosophy and Vedic Exegesis in the M�ım�am. s�a,pp. 359–371; John Taber, The Significance of Kum�arila’s Philosophy,pp. 373–393; Kunio Harikai, Kum�arila’s acceptance and modification ofcategories of the Vai�ses.ika school, pp. 395–415; Victoria Lysenko, TheVai�ses.ika notions of�ak�a�saanddi�s from the perspective of Indian ideasof space, pp. 417–447; Bruce Perry, Early Ny�aya and Hindu orthodoxy:�anv�ıks. ik�ı andadhik�ara, pp. 449–470. In Section 4 Developments andAttitudes to Neo-Hinduism there are two articles: an excellent one byAndrew Fort onJ�ıvanmuktiand social service in Advaita and Neo-Ved�anta, and one by Stuart Elkman on Vivek�ananda written from thepoint of view of a follower. The last section, Indian religion, past andpresent, comprises four articles. Minoru Hara quotes many examplesfrom the Mah�abh�arata illustrating the subtlety of the dharma. AlbrechtWezler analyses the story of An.

�ı-M�an.d.ava in the Mah�abh�arata (I 101)and shows that the ultimate meaning of this story turns out to bethat the law ofkarmanis, contrary to its very nature, not universallyvalid (cf. p. 545). Yohanan Grinshpon documents the irrelevance ofexperience and observation in the commentaries of classical yoga. Onthe basis of field work in Bengal Frank J. Korom describes personalexperiences pertaining to encounters with the Divine. According tohim experience-centered notions of religion are deep-rooted in Bengaliculture (p. 581).

The editing of this book must have cost much time and energy andwe must be grateful to the editors for having published this book whichis essential reading for everybody interested in cross-cultural studiesand Indian philosophy and religion.

4 Jansz Crescent J.W. DE JONG

Manuka ACT 2603Australia