Treasures of Buddhism
Schuon is well respected as an authority on comparative religion and as a spokesperson for the philosophia perrenis , a point of view that attempts to illuminate a metaphysical truth underlying all religions. This book, while centered on Buddhism, moves freely among Christian, Islamic, Hindu, and Chinese religious concepts and employs the vocabulary of the Western philosophical tradition. Following the chapters on Buddhism, there is a short section on Shinto. Throughout, the reading is choppy owing to the profuse footnotes that often would have been more appropriate as a continuation of the text. This is not an easy book, and it presupposes a certain degree of knowledge. Still, for scholars of religion or followers of the work of Schuon, Coomaraswamy, or Guenon, it offers some interesting points, and Schuon is particularly entertaining when he examines the limitations of science. Recommended for academic collections with an interest in comparative religion.- Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., N.Y.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.