today I received news of the passing of author and former academic Rod Bucknell.
Here is a copy of the email from Mark Allon:
Dear list members,
It is with sadness that I give notice of the passing of Roderick (Rod) S. Bucknell on Sunday 8th of March at the age of 88 years. Rod was a long-time member of the AABS and a major scholar of Buddhist Studies in Australia.
Rod first studied chemistry and biology at the University of Queensland (UQ) after which he worked in Papua New Guinea for the Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries as a freshwater biologist, along with his friend Martin Stuart-Fox (subsequently Professor of History at UQ). He then travelled in Asia for some time before returning to Australia to take up work with the Snowy Mountains Authority introducing trout into alpine lakes.
In the early 1960s, Rod enrolled in a meditation course in Bangkok, which resulted in him ordaining as a Buddhist monk a year later, living at Wat Umong outside Chiangmai. He remained in robes for four years. This marked the beginning of his life-long interest in and research on Buddhist meditation, and on Buddhism more generally.
Rod was very gifted at languages, commanding most of the classical languages of Buddhism (Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese), besides Thai, French, and German, which he used to research various aspects of Buddhism to great effect. One of his first outputs was an English translation of some of the Thai teachings of the modern Thai monk Buddhadasa. He taught French and German at Mt. Carmel College, Queensland (1971 and 1974). In 1977, Rod completed a 1st Class Honours thesis at the University of Queensland entitled “Phonology of Peking Chinese,” also being awarded the University Medal. In 1987, Rod completed his PhD thesis entitled Polyphony in the Chinese Writing System at the same university.
From 1979 to his retirement in 2003, Rod taught Chinese language and Religious Studies at the University of Queensland, where he produced several students who where or are active in Buddhist Studies in Australia, including Munk-keat Choong (University of New England), Edward Crangle (formerly University of Sydney), and the Venerable Ayya Suvira.
Rod’s scholarship ranged over a diversity of topics, including meditation, general topics in Buddhism, Buddhism in Australia, aids to language learning, and comparative studies of early Buddhist literature preserved in different languages.
His works on meditation, mostly written in the first half of his career, include The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism (co-written with Martin Stuart-Fox, 1986), which was translated into Italian, and The Meditative Way: Readings in the Theory and Practice of Buddhist Meditation (edited and translated with Chris Kang, 1997), and articles such as “Experiments in Insight Meditation” (1983), “Buddhist Jhāna as Mystical Experience” (1989), “Reinterpreting the Jhānas” (1993), and “What is the First Jhāna? The Central Question in Buddhist Meditation Theory” (2019).
His publications on general Buddhist topics include “Politicization of the Buddhist Sangha in Laos” (with Martin Stuart-Fox, 1982), “Did the Buddha Impart an Esoteric Teaching?” (1983), “The Buddhist Path to Liberation: An Analysis of the Listing of Stages” (1984), and “Conditioned Arising Evolves: Variation and Change in Textual Accounts of the Paṭicca-samuppāda Doctrine” (1999). Those on Buddhism in Australia include the entry “Buddhists” in Ian Gillman, ed., Many Faiths, One Nation: A Guide to the Major Faiths and Denominations in Australia (with Terrance McDonell, 1988), “The Buddhist Experience in Australia” (1992), the “Foreword” to E. Adam’s Buddhism in Western Australia (1995), and “Engaged Buddhism in Australia” (2000).
Being good with languages, Rod produced several aids to learning languages. This includes “Further Aids in Learning Thai Tone Classes and Alphabetic Sequence” (1979), Practical Chinese-English Conversation (with E. Chiang, 1981), “Pinyin versus Radicals for the Chinese Typewriter” (1987), Sanskrit Manual: A Quick-reference Guide to the Phonology and Grammar of Classical Sanskrit (1993), and Chinese-English Dictionary of Polyphonic Characters (with Mu Yang, 1999). Regarding his Sanskrit Manual, I recently met a Russian Sanskrit scholar at a conference in India who had translated it into Russian because he thought it was one of the best aids for learning Sanskrit.
Most of Rod’s later scholarship focused on early Buddhist literature preserved in different languages: Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese. Apart from translating the Chinese Madhyamāgama as Madhyama Āgama (Middle Length Discourses) with Anālayo and Marcus Bingenheimer (vol. 1, 2013) and with Anālayo (vol. 2, 2020; vol. 3, 2022, vol. 4, 2023), making this important text available to a wider audience, he also produced many articles in this field. Examples are, “The Structure of the Sagātha-Vagga of the Saṃyutta-Nikāya” (2007), “The Historical Relationship Between the Two Chinese Saṃyuktāgama Translations” (2011), “The Structure of the Sanskrit Dīrgha-āgama from Gilgit vis-a-vis the Pali Dīgha-nikāya” (2014), “Ekottarika-type Material in the Chinese Madhyama-āgama” (2017), and “The Structure and Formation of the Aṅguttara Nikāya and the Ekottarika Āgama” (with Tse-Fu Kuan, 2019).
His final monograph was Reconstructing Early Buddhism (Cambridge University Press, 2022), the manuscript of which was completed before he began suffering from Alzheimer’s. This book, for which I was a reviewer, proposes a radical and new understanding of the Buddha’s path to awakening based on a detailed analysis of the earliest textual sources available to us. Although I have not seen reviews or responses to it, I think it will undoubtedly prove provocative and controversial. It will certainly generate much discussion in scholarly circles, within Buddhist communities, and among those interested in understanding the Buddha’s teaching and engaging in its practice.
According to his long-time friend Martin Stuart-Fox, Rod was not a Buddhist and did not believe in rebirth but rather had a great appreciation of the Buddha as a most profound introspective analyst.
Rod was an excellent scholar and amiable person. He will be missed.
(Mark Allon, University of Sydney)
PUBLICATIONS OF RODERICK S. BUCKNELL
1979
“Further Aids in Learning Thai Tone Classes and Alphabetic Sequence.” Journal of the Siam Society 67.2: 193-96.
1980
(with Martin Stuart-Fox) “On the Methodology of Interpretation of Buddhist Symbolism.” Journal of Religious Studies 8: 38-57.
1981
(with E. Chiang) Practical Chinese-English Conversation. Taipei: Cheng-chung Shu-chü. 209 pp.
1982
(with Martin Stuart-Fox) “Politicization of the Buddhist Sangha in Laos.” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 13.1: 60-80.
1983
“Experiments in Insight Meditation.” Australian Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 3: 96-117.
(with Martin Stuart-Fox) “The ‘Three Knowledges’ of Buddhism: Implications of Buddhadasa’s Interpretation of Rebirth.” Religion 13: 99-112.
(with Martin Stuart-Fox) “Did the Buddha Impart an Esoteric Teaching?” Journal of Indian History 62: 1-17.
1984
“The Buddhist Path to Liberation: An Analysis of the Listing of Stages.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 7.2: 7-40.
1986
(with Martin Stuart-Fox) The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism. London: Curzon Press. 233 pp. Reprinted 1993. Italian translation by L. Baglioni: Il linguaggio segreto della meditazione buddhista. Roma: Ubaldini Editore. 221 pp. 1987.
1987
“Pinyin versus Radicals for the Chinese Typewriter.” Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association 22.2: 81-92.
Review of Peter Pfandt, Mahāyāna Texts Translated into Western Languages: A Bibliographical Guide, revised edition. The Eastern Buddhist 20.1: 149-50.
1988
(with Terrance McDonnell) “Buddhists.” In Ian Gillman, ed., Many Faiths, One Nation: A Guide to the Major Faiths and Denominations in Australia, pp. 318-31. Sydney: Collins.
1989
“Buddhist Meditation and the Study of Mystical Experience.” The Charles Strong Memorial Lecture Series. Underdale: Australian Association for the Study of Religions / South Yarra, Vic.: Charles Strong Memorial Trust. 22 pp.
(with Martin Stuart-Fox) “Response to Lou Nordstrom’s Review of The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism, in Philosophy East and West 39.2: 191-96.
“Buddhist Jhāna as Mystical Experience.” In Zollschan, G.K., J.F. Schumaker, and G.F. Walsh, eds., Exploring the Paranormal: Perspectives on Belief and Experience, pp. 131-49. Bridgeport (UK): Prism Press.
1990
Review of Paul Croucher, Buddhism in Australia, 1848-1988, in Australian Religious Studies Review 3.1: 67-9.
1992
“The Buddhist Experience in Australia.” In Norman Habel, ed., Religion and Multiculturalism in Australia: Essays in Honour of Victor C. Hayes, pp. 214-24. Adelaide: AASR.
Review of Martin G. Wiltshire, Ascetic Figures Before and in Early Buddhism: The Emergence of Gautama as the Buddha, in Australian Religious Studies Review 5.1: 83-4.
1993
“Reinterpreting the Jhānas.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 16.2: 375-409.
Sanskrit Manual: A Quick-reference Guide to the Phonology and Grammar of Classical Sanskrit. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. 255 pp. Reprinted 1996.
1995
“Foreword” to Enid Adam, Buddhism in Western Australia, pp. vii-viii. Attadale, W.A.: Enid Adam.
1997
(with Chris Kang) eds. and trans. The Meditative Way: Readings in the Theory and Practice of Buddhist Meditation. Richmond (UK): Curzon Press. 274 pp.
1998
Review of Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Sisters in Solitude: Two Traditions of Buddhist Monastic Ethics for Women, in Asian Studies Review 22.2: 264-6.
1999
(with Mu Yang) Chinese-English Dictionary of Polyphonic Characters. Beijing: Sinolingua. 299 pp.
“Conditioned Arising Evolves: Variation and Change in Textual Accounts of the Paṭicca-samuppāda Doctrine.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 22.2: 311-42.
“Foreword” to Mun-keat Choong, The Notion of Emptiness in Early Buddhism, pp. v-vi. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
2000
“Engaged Buddhism in Australia.” In Christopher S. Queen, ed., Engaged Buddhism in the West, pp. 469-81. Boston: Wisdom Publications.
Review of Mun-keat Choong, The Notion of Emptiness in Early Buddhism, in Australian Religious Studies Review 13.1: 100-2.
“Foreword” to Mun-keat Choong, Fundamental Teachings of Early Buddhism: A Comparative Study of the Pali Saṃyutta-nikāya and the Chinese Saṃyuktāgama (Beitäge zur Indologie 32), pp. ix-xi. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
2001
(with Paul Beirne) “In Search of the Yŏngbu: The Lost Talisman of Korea’s Tonghak Religion.” The Review of Korean Studies 4.2: 201-22.
2006
(with Anālayo) “Correspondence Table for Parallels to the Discourses of Majjhima Nikāya: Toward a Revision of Akanuma’s Comparative Catalogue.” Journal of the Centre for Buddhist Studies, Sri Lanka 4: 215-38.
2006
“Saṃyuktāgama.” Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, vol. VII (fascicle 4): 684–87.
2007
“The Structure of the Sagātha-Vagga of the Saṃyutta-Nikāya.” Buddhist Studies Review 24.1: 7-34.
2008
“The Two Versions of the Other Translation of the Saṃyuktāgama.” Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal 21: 23-54.
2009
“Taking Account of the Indic Source-text,” in Konrad Meisig, Translating Buddhist Chinese. Problems and Prospects, pp. 4-10. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag.
2011
“The Historical Relationship Between the Two Chinese Saṃyuktāgama Translations.” Chung-hwa Buddhist Journal 24: 35-70.
2013
(with Marcus Bingenheimer and Bhikkhu Anālayo) editors and translators. The Madhyama Āgama (Middle Length Discourses) vol. I (Taishō Volume 1, Number 26). Morago, California: Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, America, Inc.
2014
“The Structure of the Sanskrit Dīrgha-āgama from Gilgit vis-a-vis the Pali Dīgha-nikāya.” In Dhammadinnā, ed., Research on the Dīrgha-āgama, pp. 57-101. Taipei: Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation.
2016
“Catalogues of Parallel Buddhist Sūtras in Pali, Chinese, Sanskrit, and Other Languages.” Proceedings of the 13th Wuyue Buddhist Academic Forum, pp. 427-41. Hangzhou: Hangzhou Buddhist Academy.
2017
“Ekottarika-type material in the Chinese Madhyama-āgama.” In Dhammadinnā, ed., Research on the Madhyama-āgama, pp. 77-112. Taipei: Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation.
2019
(with Tse-Fu Kuan) “The Structure and Formation of the Aṅguttara Nikāya and the Ekottarika Āgama.” Buddhist Studies Review 36.2:141-66.
“What is the First Jhāna? The Central Question in Buddhist Meditation Theory.” In Desley Goldston, ed., Engaging Asia: Essays on Laos and Beyond in Honour of Martin Stuart-Fox, pp. 392-415. Copenhagen: NIAS Press.
2020
(with Bhikkhu Anālayo) editors and translators. The Madhyama Āgama (Middle Length Discourses) vol. II (Taishō Volume 1, Number 26). Morago, California: Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, America, Inc.
2022
Reconstructing Early Buddhism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
(with Bhikkhu Anālayo) editors and translators. The Madhyama Āgama (Middle Length Discourses) vol. III (Taishō Volume 1, Number 26). Morago, California: Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, America, Inc.
2023
(with Bhikkhu Anālayo) editors and translators. The Madhyama Āgama (Middle Length Discourses) vol. IV (Taishō Volume 1, Number 26). Morago, California: Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, America, Inc.
