Strange Tales of an Oriental Idol: An Anthology of Early European Portrayals of the Buddha (Buddhism and Modernity) by Lopez Donald S

Author:Lopez, Donald S. [Lopez, Donald S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780226391069
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2016-11-09T18:15:00+00:00

◆ Jean Frédéric Bernard (1683–1744) and Bernard Picart (1673–1733)

As seen in the previous chapter in works like Purchas His Pilgrimage, the seventeenth century saw the beginnings of compilations of travelers’ accounts from around the world. In the eighteenth century, this trend continued and became more specialized, with works devoted to specific topics. In Amsterdam between 1723 and 1743, a nine-volume work was published with the title Cérémonies et coutumes religieuses de tous les peuples du monde. It was published in English between 1733 and 1739 as The Ceremonies and Religious Customs of the Various Nations of the Known World. It was the work of the French bookseller Jean Frédéric Bernard and Bernard Picart, the greatest engraver of the day. Although remembered especially for Picart’s remarkable engravings, the work was highly influential in its day and remains an invaluable compendium of information about the religions of the world as they were understood during the French Enlightenment.

Because it described the religious practices of a wide range of nations and regions, it provided an opportunity to compare what would come to be called Buddhism across a wide geographical range. Thus, a number of selections from “Picart,” as the work is commonly called, are provided here, describing the Buddha in Laos, Tonkin (modern Vietnam), Sri Lanka, China, and Japan. In these selections, we begin to see the repetition and revision of elements we have encountered from the previous century.

The first section, on Laos, begins with a description of Xaca and the previous buddhas, and goes on to explain that the buddha of the future (unnamed here) will burn the scriptures and destroy the temples of Xaca; according to Buddhist doctrine, Maitreya will appear when all the teachings of Śākyamuni have disappeared. The passage also includes an interesting claim about the relationship of Xaca and Jesus.

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