The British Discovery of Buddhism

The British Discovery of Buddhism

Author: Philip C. Almond

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1988

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 9780521033855

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This is the first book to examine the British discovery of Buddhism during the Victorian period. It was only during the nineteenth century that Buddhism became, in the western mind, a religious tradition separate from Hinduism. As a result, Buddha emerge from a realm of myth and was addressed as a historical figure. Almond's exploration of British interpretations of Buddhism--of its founder, its doctrines, its ethics, its social practices, its truth and value--illuminates more than the various aspects of Buddhist culture: it sheds light on the Victorian society making these judgements.


Book Synopsis The British Discovery of Buddhism by : Philip C. Almond

Download or read book The British Discovery of Buddhism written by Philip C. Almond and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1988 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book to examine the British discovery of Buddhism during the Victorian period. It was only during the nineteenth century that Buddhism became, in the western mind, a religious tradition separate from Hinduism. As a result, Buddha emerge from a realm of myth and was addressed as a historical figure. Almond's exploration of British interpretations of Buddhism--of its founder, its doctrines, its ethics, its social practices, its truth and value--illuminates more than the various aspects of Buddhist culture: it sheds light on the Victorian society making these judgements.


The British Discovery of Hinduism in the Eighteenth Century

The British Discovery of Hinduism in the Eighteenth Century

Author: P. J. Marshall

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2009-01-08

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780521092968

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One of the incidental consequences of the success of British arms in eighteenth-century India was the appearance of a number of publications which reflect the intense curiosity of contemporary Europeans about strange peoples, their manners and religions. Of the three principal religions of India, Hinduism attracted the most attention. European contact with Islam was several centuries old, while few travellers could identify Buddhism with any certainty. This book reprints some of the most significant English contributions to the early European understanding of Hinduism.


Book Synopsis The British Discovery of Hinduism in the Eighteenth Century by : P. J. Marshall

Download or read book The British Discovery of Hinduism in the Eighteenth Century written by P. J. Marshall and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-01-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the incidental consequences of the success of British arms in eighteenth-century India was the appearance of a number of publications which reflect the intense curiosity of contemporary Europeans about strange peoples, their manners and religions. Of the three principal religions of India, Hinduism attracted the most attention. European contact with Islam was several centuries old, while few travellers could identify Buddhism with any certainty. This book reprints some of the most significant English contributions to the early European understanding of Hinduism.


The Buddha

The Buddha

Author: Philip C. Almond

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2023-11-30

Total Pages: 379

ISBN-13: 1009346792

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The first book both to tell the story of the Buddha's life and how the Buddha came to the West.


Book Synopsis The Buddha by : Philip C. Almond

Download or read book The Buddha written by Philip C. Almond and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2023-11-30 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book both to tell the story of the Buddha's life and how the Buddha came to the West.


British Buddhism

British Buddhism

Author: Robert Bluck

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2006-09-27

Total Pages: 435

ISBN-13: 1134158165

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British Buddhism presents a useful insight into contemporary British Buddhist practice. It provides a survey of the seven largest Buddhist traditions in the United Kingdom, including the Forest Sangha (Theravada) and the Samatha Trust (Theravada), the Serene Reflection Meditation tradition (Soto Zen) and Soka Gakkai (both originally Japanese), the Tibetan Karma Kagyu and New Kadampa traditions and Friends of the Western Buddhist Order. Based on extensive fieldwork, this fascinating book determines how and to what extent British Buddhist groups are changing from their Asian roots, and whether any forms of British Buddhism are beginning to emerge. Despite the popularity of Buddhism in Britain, there has so far been no study documenting the full range of teachings and practice. This is an original study that fills this gap and serves as an important reference point for further studies in this increasingly popular field.


Book Synopsis British Buddhism by : Robert Bluck

Download or read book British Buddhism written by Robert Bluck and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2006-09-27 with total page 435 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: British Buddhism presents a useful insight into contemporary British Buddhist practice. It provides a survey of the seven largest Buddhist traditions in the United Kingdom, including the Forest Sangha (Theravada) and the Samatha Trust (Theravada), the Serene Reflection Meditation tradition (Soto Zen) and Soka Gakkai (both originally Japanese), the Tibetan Karma Kagyu and New Kadampa traditions and Friends of the Western Buddhist Order. Based on extensive fieldwork, this fascinating book determines how and to what extent British Buddhist groups are changing from their Asian roots, and whether any forms of British Buddhism are beginning to emerge. Despite the popularity of Buddhism in Britain, there has so far been no study documenting the full range of teachings and practice. This is an original study that fills this gap and serves as an important reference point for further studies in this increasingly popular field.


Sacred Traces

Sacred Traces

Author: Janice Leoshko

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-05

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 1351550292

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In his novel Kim, in which a Tibetan pilgrim seeks to visit important Buddhist sites in India, Rudyard Kipling reveals the nineteenth-century fascination with the discovery of the importance of Buddhism in India's past. Janice Leoshko, a scholar of South Asian Buddhist art uses Kipling's account and those of other western writers to offer new insight into the priorities underlying nineteenth-century studies of Buddhist art in India. In the absence of written records, the first explorations of Buddhist sites were often guided by accounts of Chinese pilgrims. They had journeyed to India more than a thousand years earlier in search of sacred traces of the Buddha, the places where he lived, obtained enlightenment, taught and finally passed into nirvana. The British explorers, however, had other interests besides the religion itself. They were motivated by concerns tied to the growing British control of the subcontinent. Building on earlier interventions, Janice Leoshko examines this history of nineteenth-century exploration in order to illuminate how early concerns shaped the way Buddhist art has been studied in the West and presented in its museums.


Book Synopsis Sacred Traces by : Janice Leoshko

Download or read book Sacred Traces written by Janice Leoshko and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-05 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his novel Kim, in which a Tibetan pilgrim seeks to visit important Buddhist sites in India, Rudyard Kipling reveals the nineteenth-century fascination with the discovery of the importance of Buddhism in India's past. Janice Leoshko, a scholar of South Asian Buddhist art uses Kipling's account and those of other western writers to offer new insight into the priorities underlying nineteenth-century studies of Buddhist art in India. In the absence of written records, the first explorations of Buddhist sites were often guided by accounts of Chinese pilgrims. They had journeyed to India more than a thousand years earlier in search of sacred traces of the Buddha, the places where he lived, obtained enlightenment, taught and finally passed into nirvana. The British explorers, however, had other interests besides the religion itself. They were motivated by concerns tied to the growing British control of the subcontinent. Building on earlier interventions, Janice Leoshko examines this history of nineteenth-century exploration in order to illuminate how early concerns shaped the way Buddhist art has been studied in the West and presented in its museums.


Lotus & the Lion

Lotus & the Lion

Author: J. Jeffrey Franklin

Publisher: Munshirm Manoharlal Pub Pvt Limited

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 9788121512060

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Description: Buddhism is indisputably gaining prominence in the west, as is evidenced by the growth of Buddhist practice within many traditions and keen interest in meditation and mindfulness. In the Lotus and the Lion, the author traces the historical and cultural origins of Western Buddhism, showing that the British empire was a primary engine for curiosity about and then engagement with the Buddhisms that the British encountered in India and elsewhere in Asia. Victoria and Edwardian England witnessed the emergence of comparative religious scholarship with a focus on Buddhism, the appearance of Buddhist characters and concepts in literacy works, the publication of hundreds of articles on Buddhism in popular and intellectual periodicals, and the dawning of Syncretic Religions that incorporated elements derived from Buddhism. In this fascinating book, the author analyzes responses to and constructions of Buddhism by popular novelists and poets, early scholars of religion, inventors of new religions, social theorists and philosophers and a host of social and religious commentators. The Lotus and the Lion demonstrates that the nineteenth-century encounter with Buddhism subtly but profoundly changed western civilization forever. Contents Preface Introduction 1. The Life of the Buddha in Victorian Britain 2. Buddhism and the Emergence of Late-Victorian Hybrid Religions 3. Romances of Reincarnation, Karma and Desire 4. Buddhism and the Empire of the Self in Kipling's Kim Conclusion : The Afterlife of Nirvana


Book Synopsis Lotus & the Lion by : J. Jeffrey Franklin

Download or read book Lotus & the Lion written by J. Jeffrey Franklin and published by Munshirm Manoharlal Pub Pvt Limited. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Description: Buddhism is indisputably gaining prominence in the west, as is evidenced by the growth of Buddhist practice within many traditions and keen interest in meditation and mindfulness. In the Lotus and the Lion, the author traces the historical and cultural origins of Western Buddhism, showing that the British empire was a primary engine for curiosity about and then engagement with the Buddhisms that the British encountered in India and elsewhere in Asia. Victoria and Edwardian England witnessed the emergence of comparative religious scholarship with a focus on Buddhism, the appearance of Buddhist characters and concepts in literacy works, the publication of hundreds of articles on Buddhism in popular and intellectual periodicals, and the dawning of Syncretic Religions that incorporated elements derived from Buddhism. In this fascinating book, the author analyzes responses to and constructions of Buddhism by popular novelists and poets, early scholars of religion, inventors of new religions, social theorists and philosophers and a host of social and religious commentators. The Lotus and the Lion demonstrates that the nineteenth-century encounter with Buddhism subtly but profoundly changed western civilization forever. Contents Preface Introduction 1. The Life of the Buddha in Victorian Britain 2. Buddhism and the Emergence of Late-Victorian Hybrid Religions 3. Romances of Reincarnation, Karma and Desire 4. Buddhism and the Empire of the Self in Kipling's Kim Conclusion : The Afterlife of Nirvana


Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter

Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter

Author: Elizabeth Harris

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2006-04-18

Total Pages: 546

ISBN-13: 1134196245

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This major new work explores the British encounter with Buddhism in nineteenth century Sri Lanka, examining the way Buddhism was represented and constructed in the eyes of the British scholars, officials, travellers and religious seekers who first encountered it. Tracing the three main historical phases of the encounter from 1796 to 1900, the book provides a sensitive and nuanced exegesis of the cultural and political influences that shaped the early British understanding of Buddhism and that would condition its subsequent transmission to the West. Expanding our understanding of inter-religious relations between Christians and Buddhists, the book fills a significant gap in the scholarship on Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka by concentrating on missionary writings and presenting a thorough exploration of original materials of several important pioneers in Buddhist studies and mission studies.


Book Synopsis Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter by : Elizabeth Harris

Download or read book Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter written by Elizabeth Harris and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2006-04-18 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This major new work explores the British encounter with Buddhism in nineteenth century Sri Lanka, examining the way Buddhism was represented and constructed in the eyes of the British scholars, officials, travellers and religious seekers who first encountered it. Tracing the three main historical phases of the encounter from 1796 to 1900, the book provides a sensitive and nuanced exegesis of the cultural and political influences that shaped the early British understanding of Buddhism and that would condition its subsequent transmission to the West. Expanding our understanding of inter-religious relations between Christians and Buddhists, the book fills a significant gap in the scholarship on Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka by concentrating on missionary writings and presenting a thorough exploration of original materials of several important pioneers in Buddhist studies and mission studies.


Locations of Buddhism

Locations of Buddhism

Author: Anne M. Blackburn

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2010-04-15

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 0226055094

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Modernizing and colonizing forces brought nineteenth-century Sri Lankan Buddhists both challenges and opportunities. How did Buddhists deal with social and economic change; new forms of political, religious, and educational discourse; and Christianity? And how did Sri Lankan Buddhists, collaborating with other Asian Buddhists, respond to colonial rule? To answer these questions, Anne M. Blackburn focuses on the life of leading monk and educator Hikkaduve Sumangala (1827–1911) to examine more broadly Buddhist life under foreign rule. In Locations of Buddhism, Blackburn reveals that during Sri Lanka’s crucial decades of deepening colonial control and modernization, there was a surprising stability in the central religious activities of Hikkaduve and the Buddhists among whom he worked. At the same time, they developed new institutions and forms of association, drawing on pre-colonial intellectual heritage as well as colonial-period technologies and discourse. Advocating a new way of studying the impact of colonialism on colonized societies, Blackburn is particularly attuned here to human experience, paying attention to the habits of thought and modes of affiliation that characterized individuals and smaller scale groups. Locations of Buddhism is a wholly original contribution to the study of Sri Lanka and the history of Buddhism more generally.


Book Synopsis Locations of Buddhism by : Anne M. Blackburn

Download or read book Locations of Buddhism written by Anne M. Blackburn and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2010-04-15 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modernizing and colonizing forces brought nineteenth-century Sri Lankan Buddhists both challenges and opportunities. How did Buddhists deal with social and economic change; new forms of political, religious, and educational discourse; and Christianity? And how did Sri Lankan Buddhists, collaborating with other Asian Buddhists, respond to colonial rule? To answer these questions, Anne M. Blackburn focuses on the life of leading monk and educator Hikkaduve Sumangala (1827–1911) to examine more broadly Buddhist life under foreign rule. In Locations of Buddhism, Blackburn reveals that during Sri Lanka’s crucial decades of deepening colonial control and modernization, there was a surprising stability in the central religious activities of Hikkaduve and the Buddhists among whom he worked. At the same time, they developed new institutions and forms of association, drawing on pre-colonial intellectual heritage as well as colonial-period technologies and discourse. Advocating a new way of studying the impact of colonialism on colonized societies, Blackburn is particularly attuned here to human experience, paying attention to the habits of thought and modes of affiliation that characterized individuals and smaller scale groups. Locations of Buddhism is a wholly original contribution to the study of Sri Lanka and the history of Buddhism more generally.


Theravāda Buddhism and the British Encounter

Theravāda Buddhism and the British Encounter

Author: Elizabeth June Harris

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13:

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This book explores the British encounter with Buddhism in nineteenth century Sri Lanka. Its central concern is the way Buddhism was represented and constructed by the British scholars, officials, missionaries, travelers and religious seekers who traveled to the country. The book traces three main historical phases in the encounter from 1796 to 1900 and gives a sensitive and nuanced exegesis of the cultural and political influences that shaped the early British understanding of Buddhism. This work fills a significant gap in scholarship on Theravāda Buddhism in Sri Lanka and its subsequent transmission to the West. Of particular significance is its coverage of how nineteenth century missionary writings on Buddhism affected both the development of Protestant Buddhism and Christian-Buddhist relations in the twentieth century. Through its exploration of original materials connected with several important pioneer writers on Buddhism, it expands the readers' understanding of inter-religious and inter-cultural relations under colonialism. --from back cover.


Book Synopsis Theravāda Buddhism and the British Encounter by : Elizabeth June Harris

Download or read book Theravāda Buddhism and the British Encounter written by Elizabeth June Harris and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2006 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the British encounter with Buddhism in nineteenth century Sri Lanka. Its central concern is the way Buddhism was represented and constructed by the British scholars, officials, missionaries, travelers and religious seekers who traveled to the country. The book traces three main historical phases in the encounter from 1796 to 1900 and gives a sensitive and nuanced exegesis of the cultural and political influences that shaped the early British understanding of Buddhism. This work fills a significant gap in scholarship on Theravāda Buddhism in Sri Lanka and its subsequent transmission to the West. Of particular significance is its coverage of how nineteenth century missionary writings on Buddhism affected both the development of Protestant Buddhism and Christian-Buddhist relations in the twentieth century. Through its exploration of original materials connected with several important pioneer writers on Buddhism, it expands the readers' understanding of inter-religious and inter-cultural relations under colonialism. --from back cover.


The Buddha and Dr Fuhrer

The Buddha and Dr Fuhrer

Author: Charles Allen

Publisher: Haus Pub

Published: 2011-03

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9781906598907

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"[Allen] pieces the story together like shards of a broken vase."—Sara Wheeler,The Sunday Telegraph In this fascinating book, Charles Allen unravels the saga of an archeological discovery and a twisted tale of truth and lies that has divided Buddhist scholars for a century. Reconstructing the forested Tarai landscape of the fifth century BC in which the Buddha was raised, Allen employs a strong narrative to reveal the truth behind the alleged discovery of the Buddha's ashes in 1898 and the subsequent controversies that surrounded uncertain and compromised excavation and the numerous partiesinvolved.


Book Synopsis The Buddha and Dr Fuhrer by : Charles Allen

Download or read book The Buddha and Dr Fuhrer written by Charles Allen and published by Haus Pub. This book was released on 2011-03 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "[Allen] pieces the story together like shards of a broken vase."—Sara Wheeler,The Sunday Telegraph In this fascinating book, Charles Allen unravels the saga of an archeological discovery and a twisted tale of truth and lies that has divided Buddhist scholars for a century. Reconstructing the forested Tarai landscape of the fifth century BC in which the Buddha was raised, Allen employs a strong narrative to reveal the truth behind the alleged discovery of the Buddha's ashes in 1898 and the subsequent controversies that surrounded uncertain and compromised excavation and the numerous partiesinvolved.