The impressive growth of Buddhist Studies in recent years is the result of several factors. Important collections of manuscripts have been found, and monuments unearthed, in nearly all parts of Asia where Buddhism existed; political and social events bringing East and West together have increased interest in both scholarly research and Buddhist religious practices. The spread of Buddhism outside its birthplace, Madhyadesa, first in Indian and soon throughout Asia, prompted its followers constantly to invent new discursive strategies and to adjust the rules to local customs and administrations. This explains the dynamism and openness of Buddhist doctrine (dharma) and the complex casuistry of the corpus of Buddhist institutional rules (vinaya). The essays presented here illustrate how and why Buddhist literature adapted to a new and specific context, particularly in North-west India. It thus contributes to a better understanding of some puzzling questions raised by the existence of various later recensions. They also discuss hermeneutical and exegetical practices of Indian Buddhism, the complex interrelation betweenthe Brahmanical and the Buddhist milieu, as well as the role of the social and political context in determining the rules of the monastic code.
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