Reviews

Summary

The ‘Reviews’ section of the journal offers critical assessments of recent publications across Buddhist; historical and cultural studies. It opens with a detailed appraisal of Bimala Churn Law’s monograph ‘Concepts of Buddhism’. The reviewer commends Law for collating material from the Pāli canon to clarify Buddhist notions of karma; rebirth; nirvana and the non‑self; and notes that the author deliberately avoids reconstructing the Buddha’s original doctrine. The review discusses Law’s interpretation that rebirth should be understood as the continuity of a karmic impulse rather than transmigration of a soul and comments on the difficulty of reconciling different philosophical strands within the canonical texts. Another review examines Swami Sadananda’s Bengali booklet ‘Brhattara Bhāratīer O Parvaṇa’; which popularises the Hindu cultural heritage of Java and Bali. The reviewer praises the author’s first‑hand observations and argues that such works can inspire Indian scholars to explore the temples; inscriptions and rituals of Indonesia and thus revive awareness of Greater India’s history. Further notices include H.L. Srivastava’s ‘A Guide to Fatehpur Sikri’; lauded for its concise presentation of the Mughal capital’s architecture and for making a complex site accessible to general readers; although some phrasing and omissions are critiqued. Throughout the section the reviewers balance appreciation with constructive criticism; pointing out inaccuracies; stylistic issues and gaps while recognising the value of the publications for students; travellers and researchers. The reviews collectively cover topics ranging from Buddhist philosophy and Indo–Southeast Asian cultural exchanges to Mughal architecture; thereby reflecting the interdisciplinary scope of the Quarterly.