BUDDHIST AND INDIAN STUDIES
in Honour of Professor Sodo Mori

Edited by Kosho Tada et.al. International Buddhist Association, Hamamatsu, Japan, 2002. pp. xxii+667.

The present volume is a collection of scholarly papers published in honour of Professor Sodo Mori, a leading Japanese Buddhologist and scholar in Pali textual and philosophical tradition. It has been edited by a group of fourteen Japanese scholars, who are friends, colleagues and students of Prof. Mori, headed by Prof. Kosho Tada. The others in the editorial board are: Osamu Yoshida, Takayoshi Namikawa, Yoshifumi Honjo, Mitsuru Ando, Kimiaki Tatebe, Katsumi Okimoto, Akira Saito, Shizuka Sasaki, Kenryo Minowa, Junsho Kato, Kazuko Tanabe, Toshiichi Endo and Masahiro Shimoda, themselves Japanese scholars of recognition in the field.

The volume contains 41 scholarly papers on various themes belonging to Buddhist and Indian studies contributed by a large number of Eastern and Western scholars. The complete bibliography of Prof. Mori and his detailed Curriculum Vitae help gain a good idea about his rich and varied academic life. The volume is a significant contribution to the contemporary Buddhist studies in several respects: It contains a large number of academic contributions representing interests of contemporary Buddhist scholarship, mainly in the Theravada and Pali textual tradition but not limited to these areas alone, in one volume. Furthermore it mirrors, owing to the fact that a larger majority of contributors are from Japan, many-sided interests of Japanese Buddhist scholarship. For most of us who do not have access to the materials published in Japanese the present volume is definitely most welcome. We in SLABS join with the well-wishers of Prof. Sodo Mori in wishing him good health and long life for even more fruitful academic endeavours.

HUMANISTIC BUDDHISM FOR SOCIAL WELL-BEING:
An Overview of Ground Master Hsing Yun's Interpoetation in Theory and Practice by Dr. Ananda W. P. Guruge Buddha's Light Pablishing, Los Angeles, U. S. A 2002) In his latest book Dr. Guruge makes a comprehensive Study of Grand Master Hsing Yun's interpretation of Buddhism. Grand Master is one of the leaders of Mahàyana Buddhism today.

SARVâSTIVâDA ABHIDHARMA
Ven. Prof. Kuala Lumpur Dhammajoti's latest book (377 pp) was published by the Centre for Buddhist Studies, Sri Lanka in December 2002. This is a collection of articles and lecture notes the author has had for his students in Sri Lanka and abroad over the years and is a welcome contribution to the understanding of the Sarvàstivàda School of Buddhist Thought.

ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF BUDDHISM
Published by the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Government of Sri Lanka. The Encyclopaedia of Buddhism Project launched by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1956 to commemorate Buddha Jayanti has successfully completed and printed the first six volumes out of the envisaged ten volumes. These six volumes carry articles from letter A to letter M. Printing of the first fascicle of volume VII has already commenced and is expected to be released in July 2003. This fascicle carries eighty articles under the letters M, N and O, some of the key articles among them being:

MIND and MæLAPARIYâYA SUTTA by Professor P. D. Premasiri; MOGGALIPUTTATISSA, NâGARJUNA and NâLANDA by Dr. K. Arunasiri; MOONSTONE by Professor Nandasena Mudiyanse; MUSIC by Professor Walter Marasinghe; MYSTICISM by Professor Asanga Tilekaratne NIRODHA SAMâPATTI by Dr. G. A. Somaratne; NEKKHAMMA by Ven. Professor Dhammavihari; NäVARANA by Mr. Upali Karunaratne; and MIRACLES, OLCOTT Col H. S. and OMNISCIENCE by Mrs. Suvimalee Karunaratna.

An accelerated programme to complete the compilation of the Encyclopaedia of Buddhism by the end the year 2006 is now in progress, under the direction of the Hon. V. J. M. Lokubandara, the Minister of Buddhasasana.

SYMPOSIUM ON BUDDHISTS STUDIES
Ven. Kotapitiye Rahula, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Peradeniya, is editing a volume with scholarly articles on miscellaneous Buddhist topics titled “Symposium on Buddhist Studies”, to mark the 20th annversary of the London Thames Buddhist Vihara. For further details please contact the Department.

THE BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, Kandy, has
published a book to mark the 250th Anniversary of the Siam Nikaya. The great Revival, while being a tribute to the illustrious Sangharaja thero, describes the early days of the Malwatta and Asgiriya Mahaviharas and their progress seen today, captured through the lens of versatile photographer Sarath Perera.

JOURNAL OF THE CENTRE FOR BUDDHIST STUDIES, SRI LANKA, VOLUME I

The Centre for Buddhist Studies, Sri Lanka (CBSSL) has brought out the first issue of its journal (270pp) in May 2003. It is a journal of high academic standard with 9 articles written by some of the leading Buddhist scholars in Sri Lanka.