Strange tales of an Oriental idol : an anthology of early European portrayals of the Buddha /
Strange tales of an Oriental idol : an anthology of early European portrayals of the Buddha /
edited by Donald S. Lopez Jr.
- 1 online resource (xi, 259 pages)
- Buddhism and modernity .
- Buddhism and modernity. .
Includes bibliographical references and index.
From 200 to 1500 -- From 1501 to 1600 -- From 1601 to 1700 -- From 1701 to 1800 -- From 1801 to 1844.
We tend to think that the Buddha has always been seen as the compassionate sage admired around the world today, but until the nineteenth century, Europeans often regarded him as a nefarious figure, an idol worshipped by the pagans of the Orient. Donald S. Lopez Jr. offers here a rich sourcebook of European fantasies about the Buddha drawn from the works of dozens of authors over fifteen hundred years, including Clement of Alexandria, Marco Polo, St. Francis Xavier, Voltaire, and Sir William Jones. Featuring writings by soldiers, adventurers, merchants, missionaries, theologians, and colonial officers, this volume contains a wide range of portraits of the Buddha. The descriptions are rarely flattering, as all manner of reports some accurate, some inaccurate, and some garbled came to circulate among European savants and eccentrics, many of whom were famous in their day but are long forgotten in ours. Taken together, these accounts present a fascinating picture, not only of the Buddha as he was understood and misunderstood for centuries, but also of his portrayers.
9780226391069 022639106X
Gautama Buddha--Christian interpretations.
Gautama Buddha--Early works to 1800.
Gautama Buddha--Cult--History.--Europe
Bouddha--Interprétations chrétiennes.
Gautama Buddha
Buddhism--Study and teaching--History.--Europe
Bouddhisme--Étude et enseignement--Histoire.--Europe
RELIGION--Comparative Religion.
Buddhism--Study and teaching
Christian interpretations of Gautama Buddha
Cults
Europe
Electronic books.
Early works
History
BQ894 / .S77 2016eb
294.3/6309
Includes bibliographical references and index.
From 200 to 1500 -- From 1501 to 1600 -- From 1601 to 1700 -- From 1701 to 1800 -- From 1801 to 1844.
We tend to think that the Buddha has always been seen as the compassionate sage admired around the world today, but until the nineteenth century, Europeans often regarded him as a nefarious figure, an idol worshipped by the pagans of the Orient. Donald S. Lopez Jr. offers here a rich sourcebook of European fantasies about the Buddha drawn from the works of dozens of authors over fifteen hundred years, including Clement of Alexandria, Marco Polo, St. Francis Xavier, Voltaire, and Sir William Jones. Featuring writings by soldiers, adventurers, merchants, missionaries, theologians, and colonial officers, this volume contains a wide range of portraits of the Buddha. The descriptions are rarely flattering, as all manner of reports some accurate, some inaccurate, and some garbled came to circulate among European savants and eccentrics, many of whom were famous in their day but are long forgotten in ours. Taken together, these accounts present a fascinating picture, not only of the Buddha as he was understood and misunderstood for centuries, but also of his portrayers.
9780226391069 022639106X
Gautama Buddha--Christian interpretations.
Gautama Buddha--Early works to 1800.
Gautama Buddha--Cult--History.--Europe
Bouddha--Interprétations chrétiennes.
Gautama Buddha
Buddhism--Study and teaching--History.--Europe
Bouddhisme--Étude et enseignement--Histoire.--Europe
RELIGION--Comparative Religion.
Buddhism--Study and teaching
Christian interpretations of Gautama Buddha
Cults
Europe
Electronic books.
Early works
History
BQ894 / .S77 2016eb
294.3/6309