This volume deals with the Sarvāstivāda school of
Buddhism, the major philosophical school of Hīnayāna. First a general outline is given of the school's origin in the (Indian) Buddhist synods. Part one ends with a general
survey of Sarvāstivāda Literature.
In the actual corpus the philosophical texts of Sarvāstivāda are treated in detail. The organization of the work follows the geographical spread of Sarvāstivāda. In these Parts special emphasis is laid on the Central Asian history of the school, as well as on how the school eventually reached
China ('Abhidharma and Kosa Schools'). Treatment is based on the Chinese versions of the major works of the school (Sūtrapiṭaka, Abhidarmapiṭaka and Vinayapiṭaka).
All in all, this major work throws a
new light on the relationship between Sarvāstivāda and Mūlasarvāstivāda and provides an innovative view on the Dārsṭtantika and Sautrāntika Schools.
Charles Willemen, Ph.D. (1971) in Sarvāstivāda Buddhist Scholasticism (The Chinese Udūnavarga), is Professor at Ghent National University, Belgium, Chinese Language and Culture Department. He has published extensively on Buddhist Studies (Sarvāstivāda, Tantrism).
Bart Dessein, Ph.D. (1993) In Sarvāstivāda Buddhist Scholasticism (Saṃyuktābhi-dharmahṛdaya
All those interested in the history of Buddhist philosophy in general, and in Sarvāstivāda Buddhism in particular.