Basic Buddhism by Huai-Chin Nan

Author:Huai-Chin Nan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser Conari

BUDDHISM IN EUROPE AND AMERICA

Now that the conditions of Buddhism in Korea, Japan, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Tibet, and other Asian areas have been examined, it's time to examine the conditions of Buddhism in the West.

Britain

After the British had taken control of all of India by 1796, they began to pay attention to Indian civilization and to study Buddhist texts. Many talented people emerged among the British researchers on Buddhism. There were two among them who were particularly outstanding: Max Muller (1823-1900) and T. W. Rhys Davids (1843-1922). Muller was a specialist in Sanskrit. Starting in 1879, he began to publish the Sacred Books of the East series in forty-nine volumes. For this, he received the respect of the learned world of his time. In this collection, there were several Buddhist scriptures, such as the Hinayana code of monastic discipline, the Larger Agama Sutra, the Sutra in Praise of the Deeds of Buddha, the Contemplation of Amitabha Sutra, the Greater Amitabha Sutra, and the Lotus Sutra, along with English translations of various Sanskrit texts that had been discovered. This collection aroused British interest in investigating Buddhism. In 1881, Rhys Davids founded the Pali Text Society. The Society put out translations of various Buddhist texts that were in circulation in Sri Lanka, including sutras, shastras, vinaya texts, commentaries, histories, and biographies. Having received the support of the king of Thailand, the Society published the Pali canon. This did even more to encourage the interest of Europeans in studying Buddhism.

As related above, Muller and Rhys Davids performed a major service in transmitting Buddhism to the West. Many scholars from Britain, France, and Germany took part in this process, which injected a new current into the learned world of Europe in the 18 th and 19th centuries. Lecturing on Buddhism at the major universities of Oxford and London, Max Muller and Rhys Davids had a great influence. The London Buddhist Association made Rhys Davids its president, and Mrs. Rhys Davids also translated many Buddhist texts.

The British Mahabodhi Society was founded in 1927 by the Sri Lankan Angarika Buddhapala. A considerable number of British Buddhists joined it, along with Buddhists from India and Sri Lanka. Attached to it were a research society and a lecture society. Every month it published a journal called The British Buddhist, which achieved a wide circulation. In addition to this, there was the London Students’ Buddhist Association, founded by Dr. A. P. DeZoysa, and the Buddhist Layman's Association, founded by Christmas Humphreys. Both were organizations devoted to promoting Buddhist learning.

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