BOOK REVIEWS
109
of Buddhist Tantrism" with a discussion of the mystic's approach to what is 'experience.' When he treats the concepts of 'reality' and 'spirituality' his reference to S. Freud's 'super-ego' for the Tibetan yid i.e. 'mind,' lacks persuasiveness, but admittedly this is not part of the main argument. Comparisons with Hegel and Kant as well as the Sanskrit sources and their interpretation could not be checked for this review. Apart from referring, among others, to Bertrand Russell and Karl Jaspers, the author seems to agree repeatedly with William S. Haas's The Destiny of the Mind. Taken as a whole, this broadly conceived study is valuable food for thought to the informed philosopher.
"Three Impressions of Bamian" by Alastair Lamb is an exciting introduction to the sculptures, caves and wall paintings of this Buddhist monastic cave complex in Afghanistan. The views and pictures of three visitors to Bamian are compared: Charles Masson in 1832, Vincent Eyre in 1842 and Lamb himself in 1958. The picture section comprises altogether thirty-two plates, mostly photographs. The main features of Bamian are the Buddha colossi of 120 and 175 feet in height respectively, the "giants of Gandhara sculpture." Bamian is taken as “a gigantic demonstration of the great extent of contacts between China, India, Iran and the Mediterranean which flourished from the foundation of the Roman Empire to the period of the T'ang Dynasty." The various early domes in Bamian cave architecture are treated in some detail and described as "convincing proof of the strong Western influence in the Buddhist architecture of Afghanistan."
Thaung Blackmore presents a comprehensive view of the "Founding of the City of Mandalay by King Mindon" in 1857. Though some ancient Burmese customs such as myosade, i.e. human sacrifices at the foundation of a city, were given up, the construction of Mandalay was still mainly influenced by traditional concepts, in particular by astrology.
Walter Hochstadter is a very outspoken fighter for the "Real Shen Chou," as he sees him. Under the heading of "Popular Conceptions of Shen Chou's Style" he particularly criticizes Professor Osvald Sirén. Hochstadter lists seven points which are useful to establish a major painter's work, the main one being brushwork. He arrives at the conclusion that only two works
BOOK REVIEWS
109
of Buddhist Tantrism" with a discussion of the mystic's approach to what is 'experience.' When he treats the concepts of 'reality* and 'spirituality' his reference to S. Freud's 'super-ego' for the Tibetan yid i.e. 'mind,' lacks persuasiveness, but admittedly this is not part of the main argument. Comparisons with Hegel and Kant as well as the Sanskrit sources and their interpretation could not be checked for this review. Apart from referring, among others, to Bertrand Russell and Karl Jaspers, the author seems to agree repeatedly with William S. Haas's The Destiny of the Mind. Taken as a whole, this broadly conceived study is valuable food for thought to the informed philosopher.
"Three Impressions of Bamian" by Alastair Lamb is an exciting introduction to the sculptures, caves and wall paintings of this Buddhist monastic cave complex in Afghanistan. The views and pictures of three visitors to Bamian are compared: Charles Masson in 1832, Vincent Eyre in 1842 and Lamb himself in 1958. The picture section comprises altogether thirty-two plates, mostly photographs. The main features of Bamian are the Buddha colossi of 120 and 175 feet of height respectively, the "giants of Gandhara sculpture." Bamian is taken as “a gigantic demonstration of the great extent of contacts between China, India, Iran and the Mediterranian which flourished from the foundation of the Roman Empire to the period of the T'ang Dynasty." The various early domes in Bamian cave architecture are treated in some detail and described as "convincing proof of the strong Western influence in the Buddhist architecture of Afghanistan."
Thaung Blackmore presents a comprehensive view of the "Founding of the City of Mandalay by King Mindon" in 1857. Though some ancient Burmese customs such as myosade, i.e. human sacrifices at the foundation of a city, were given up, the construction of Mandalay was still mainly influenced by tradi- tional concepts, in particular by astrology.
Walter Hochstadter is a very outspoken fighter for the "Real Shen Chou," as he sees him. Under the heading of "Popular Conceptions of Shen Chou's Style" he particularly criticizes Professor Osvald Sirén. Hochstadter lists seven points which are useful to establish a major painter's work, the main one being brushwork. He arrives at the conclusion that only two works
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