This includes thirty-five papers presented by eminent scholars at the Seminar. The reason for organizing this Seminar on Buddhism emanates, perhaps, from the ambitious quest for an integrated culture or mankind in transnational and comparative perspective, utilizing the inputs made by the various disciplines concerned.

This volume provides thus an international and interdisciplinary group with the backgrounds as Philosophy, Religion, History, Sociology, Anthropology, Art history, Archaeology, Language and Literature for the first time together round a table, to exchange ideas and in that process gave a visibility of Buddhist Studies as an independent discipline in its own right.

What has really been missed in the case of Buddhism is the recognition that it is not just a form of faith or system of religion to be treated through its doctrines and philosophies, the sects and schools, its relation with the other schools of thought, be it in India or China or Japan or Thailand, but it is most intimately linked to the life of the people and their culture as a whole. It is these cultural and civilizational aspects of the people and their culture as a whole. It is these cultural and civilizational aspects of behavior of humanity as a whole and societies through time, and over space, which are significant and have an universal message that has been brought through this book-Buddhism in India and Abroad: An Integrating Influence in Vedic and Post Vedic Perspective along with rare photographs of Buddhist caves etc.

About the Author:

Dr. Kalpakam Sankarnarayan, Director, K. J. Somaiya Centre of Buddhist Studies, Vidyavihar, Mumbai, India, has authored Rasakalika of Rudrabhatta-A Critical Study and Exposition with English Translation. Her forthcoming books-Traditional Cultural Link between India and Japan (During 8th and 9th Centuries A.D.) in collaboration with Dr. Motohiro Yoritomi and Dr. Ichijo Ogawa, (Otani University, Kyoto, Japan), and Japanese Esoteric (Kukai's Shingon) Buddhism with Indian Perspective in collaboration with Dr. Motohiro Yoritomi, (Chairman, Shuchin University, Kyoto, Japan).

Dr. Prof. Motohiro Yoritomi, Head of the Department of Buddhism and Chairman of Shuchin University, Kyoto, Japan, is the author of Historical Development of Pancatathagatas and Kukai's Shingon Buddhism in Japanese and the editor of Iconographic Dictionary of Tantric Buddhism in India and Japan. His forthcoming Book-Japanese Esoteric (Kukai's Shingon) Buddhism with Indian Perspective in collaboration with Dr. Kalpakam Sankarnarayan.

Dr. Shubhada A. Joshi, Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, University of Bombay, is the author of the book Lokayata-A Critical Study and co-editor of the book Sri Aurobindo and Vedic Interpretations. Presently she has been working in the area of Yoga for Better Living.