Strange tales of an Oriental idol: an anthology of early European portrayals of the Buddha

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 E...

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Bibliographic Details
Contributors: Lopez, Donald S., Jr. 1952- (Editor)
Format: Electronic/Print Book
Language:English
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WorldCat: WorldCat
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Chicago London The University of Chicago Press [2016]
In:Year: 2016
Volumes / Articles:Show volumes/articles.
Series/Journal:Buddhism and modernity
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Buddhism / Christianity / Cultural contact / Interfaith dialogue
B Buddha 563 BC-483 BC / Reception / Europe / History 200-1844
Further subjects:B Gautama Buddha Early works to 1800
B Anthology
B Buddhism Study and teaching (Europe) History
B Gautama Buddha Christian interpretations
B Gautama Buddha Cult (Europe) History
Online Access: Inhaltsverzeichnis (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Parallel Edition:Electronic
Description
Summary: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
Item Description:Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN:0226493180
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.72087chicago/9780226391069.001.0001