Buddhist Hermeneutics

The introduction frames Buddhist hermeneutics around a central question: after the Buddha’s death, where does authority reside and how should his teaching be interpreted? Lopez explains that Buddhism developed a vast canon and many doctrinal systems, making interpretation necessary for reconciling different teachings. Key interpretive principles include relying on the teaching rather than the teacher, the meaning rather than the letter, definitive meaning rather than provisional meaning, and wisdom rather than ordinary consciousness. The chapters proceed through major Buddhist traditions and interpretive frameworks: Étienne Lamotte discusses textual assessment in Buddhism; George D. Bond treats the gradual path as a hermeneutical approach; Lopez examines Mahāyāna sūtras; Michael M. Broido studies tantric interpretation; Robert A. F. Thurman discusses Vajra hermeneutics; Matthew Kapstein analyzes Mi-pham; David W. Chappell, Peter N. Gregory, and Robert E. Buswell explore Chinese, Hua-yen, and Korean Ch’an hermeneutics; Thomas P. Kasulis presents Kūkai’s theory of interpretation; and Roger Tashi Corless concludes with Shinran’s “proofs” of true Buddhism.