F. C. Almond's "The Discovery of Buddhism in England" Summary and Comments - Did Buddhist studies emerge from a Victorian desk? Primitive Buddhist supremacy and criticism of Mahayana Buddhism have their roots here.
The book presented here is "The Discovery of Buddhism in Britain," written by Philip C. Almond and translated by Michiaki Okuyama, published by Hozokan in 2021.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
A monumental work, long-awaited first translation in Japan!
Was "Buddhism" born on a Western desk?
This article explores the discursive space of how they understood and accepted the "deformed teachings".The concept of "Buddhism" as used today. It did not originate in the East, but was a product of the West's imagination and desire through literature of colonial origin.
The study analyzes the representations of Buddhism by Englishmen of the Vitriclean dynasty in the 19th century, and elucidates the process of constructing "Buddhism as a religion" different from Christianity, etc., with admiration, contempt, prejudice, and awe, based on the issues related to "Orientalism and Religion.
This is the long-awaited first translation in Japan of this monumental work depicting the "creation of Buddhism" in the modern Western world.
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As you can see in the book introduction here, this work tells a shocking story. I have previously introduced it on this blog.A History of Buddhism in New Asia 02 India II: The Formation and Development of Buddhism.But the problems of Western-derived Buddhist studies are also discussed, and this book is truly a work in its own right.
Reading this book, it is easy to understand why critics say, "Go back to primitive Buddhism. It is easy to understand why some critics say, "Go back to primitive Buddhism; Japanese Buddhism is corrupt. I have never been able to understand the criticisms of Mahayana Buddhism until now, but now I can understand why some people say, "Oh, I see! I see! That's what it means! I am sure you will be able to find out more and more about it. When you follow the background of these criticisms, you will discover some extraordinary facts. This is a very exciting book. It is a tremendous work. Please read it! I am sure you will be shocked!
In this article, I would like to introduce some of them from one such horrible book. I am sure you will be amazed just by reading part of it. So, let's begin.
By the early 1850s, a discourse on Buddhism was unfolding. By this time, "Buddhism" had described and categorized diverse aspects of various Eastern cultures. Moreover, it was distinguished from Hinduism, which had begun with Gautama (although the period was not yet specified) and was almost regarded as having originated in India. It was only when Buddhism came to be regarded as a definable subject, first of all through the compilation and compilation of its own literature, that the majority of views on Buddhism were consequently able to gain a firm foothold. By the 1850s, the analysis of Buddhist literature came to be seen as an important scholarly task. As the West came to possess more and more of the Buddhist literature, it came to possess Buddhism as a material, so to speak, by the West. This ownership led to the ideological domination of Buddhism by the West.
At the beginning of the Victorian era, there was a distinct perception that, surprisingly, very little was known about Buddhism. In 1836, for example, the Penny Cyclopedia reported that although much had been written about Buddhism, critical study of its origins, system of doctrine, and history of propagation remained sorely awaited. In light of the fact that Buddhism's own sources have rarely been adequately investigated and that knowledge about Buddhism comes almost exclusively from non-Buddhist sources, the book warns readers. We intend to compress Buddhism within the limits of this paper. We intend to compress Buddhism within the limits of this paper, so that statements respecting Buddhism should not be taken with too much absolute confidence. It goes on to acknowledge, however, that a literary analysis of the Buddhist texts is at hand, and that it will probably change the current understanding of Buddhism.
Hozokan, Philip C. Almond, translated by Michiaki Okuyama, Discovering Buddhism in Britain, p. 57-58.
In the 1850s, Buddhist literature began to be compiled little by little, and the British began to recognize the existence of Buddhism in India. However, until just a short time before this, Buddhism was still in a state of limbo, with theories such as the possibility that Buddha was an African being being discussed.
That being said, Buddhism disappeared in India around the 13th century. By the time the British ruled India, Buddhist monks and followers had already ceased to exist. The British were imagining such an unknown religion from ancient documents.
In the above quote.The West possesses more and more Buddhist texts, and through this, Buddhism becomes materially possessed by the West, and through this possession, Buddhism becomes ideologically dominated by the West. And through this possession, Buddhism becomes ideologically dominated by the West.It is extremely important to note that it was stated that It was Western Buddhist studies that created a picture of Buddhism that had never been seen or heard of from "Buddhist literature that they owned as material. In other words, the English formed Buddhist studies without seeing the actual lives of Buddhist monks and Buddhists. Moreover, they did so in a manner consistent with their own ideology.
Now, let's continue.
Once Buddhism was first described in literature for the West - and this was from the mid-19th century onward - contemporaneous Buddhism in the East was generally seen as in a state of decadence. This is in sharp contrast to the first half of the 19th century. There was no suggestion in early Western discourse on Buddhism that it was a decadent and corrupt religion. At a time when there was no ideal literary Buddhism, a Buddhist comparison to be encountered in the East, such an implication wasIt couldn't be.In contrast, those who saw Buddhism in the East in the late nineteenth century could not help but evaluate it against what the literature told them. In contrast, those who saw Buddhism in the East in the late 19th century could not help but contrast it with what the literature told them and describe it in terms such as corruption, depravity, and decadence, which they found lacking in Buddhism in the East.
Such contrasts between ideal literal Buddhism in the West and examples in the East are often apparent on the surface, potentially omnipresent, and seldom lacking.
Hozokan, Philip C. Almond, translated by Michiaki Okuyama, Discovering Buddhism in Britain, p. 83-84.
In short, images of corruption, depravity, and decadence arose as a result of the contrast that could be drawn between the ideal literary Buddhism of the past and the Eastern examples of the same period. At the same time, this provided an iteorology that justified the proselytizing of an advancing and flourishing Christianity in opposition to a now moribund Buddhism. The Victorian creation of an ideal, literate Buddhism was an important factor that made possible the rejection of Buddhism in the East. (omitted).
In every respect the Eastern spirit was inferior. It was Buddhism, in many cases, that was held responsible for this fact. In 1830, John Crawford [1783-1868, Scottish physician, engaged in colonial administration in Southeast Asia] declared that in the whole of Asia every Buddhist nation was only second-rate, and that "not a single country has become first-rate in either art or armaments, and not a single country has produced world-famous individuals such as members of parliament, authors, soldiers, or founders of new forms of faith. Not a single country has produced world-famous individuals such as parliamentarians, writers, military officers, or founders of new forms of faith. It was also suggested that the Oriental spirit was destined to remain inferior, despite the best efforts of the Western powers to control their colonies.
Hozokan, Philip C. Almond, translated by Michiaki Okuyama, Discovering Buddhism in Britain, p. 89-91.
The creation by the Victorians of an ideal literate Buddhism was an important factor in their rejection of Eastern Buddhism."
Now we come to the core element. The Buddhist studies born in England rejected Buddhism in the East and became a justification for colonial rule. That is why they criticize Mahayana Buddhism that takes root in the East and say that it is a corrupt and inferior teaching. In other words, the message of the "Critique of Mahayana Buddhism" was to "abandon the inferior Eastern culture and westernize it.
And a more surprising fact will be explained later.
"Worthy only of love, not of hatred," "one of the greatest men of the past," these sentiments sum up the Victorian view of the Buddha. Above all, throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, the Buddha gained almost universal acclaim - not so much for his teachings, but rather for his personality. His historical reputation as the founder of Buddhism can clearly be seen in Richard Phillips' epic poem "The Story of Gautama Buddha" (1871), cited at right. However, such an attitude of reverence for the Buddha is shared not only by resonators such as Phillips, but also by those who have little sympathy with Buddhist doctrine, not to mention Edwin Arnold [1832-19004, English journalist and writer]. And perhaps that is what is of interest. Barthélémy Saint-Imier [1800-95, French philosopher] is a leading critic of Buddhism who is recognized by both its proponents and critics. Even he, "With the sole exception of Christ, among all the founders of religions there is no one so pure as the Buddha, no one so inspiring as he. In his life, pure and unsullied, he acted according to his convictions. Even if the doctrines he preached were false, the example of character he set was impeccable," he had to admit.
Hozokan, Philip C. Almond, translated by Michiaki Okuyama, Discovering Buddhism in Britain, p. 116-117.
"'Worthy not of hatred but of love' and 'one of the greatest figures of the past,' these sentiments sum up the Victorian view of the Buddha. Above all, throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, the Buddha gained almost universal acclaim - not so much for his teachings as for his personality."
This is also an extremely important point, although I urge you to read the rest of the book, as it will explain this in more detail later in the book.
If you say,Buddha is a historical figure to be admired, not as a religious figure."This means that the West has accepted the idea that
What is wrong with this is that this kind of perception is the basis for the discourse that "Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophy of life. It is a philosophy of life." It also leads to the criticism that "the human Buddha, not the deified Buddha, is the true form of Buddha" and that "later Buddhism has degenerated into idolatry and is nothing but a superstitious religion.
England was a "Church of England" dominated world. Even in the Victorian era, that religion was a strong force among the people. And the overall atmosphere of the Victorian era, with its development of science and industry, was one of asceticism, frugality, and hard work, which was seen as ideal (*Smiles'A Theory of Self-Help."(was exactly this period). Although it is problematic to lump the faith and national character of the British people in this way, I think it is clear that it is not the same as the Roman faith. It was precisely because such an Englishman liked Buddha as a "historical man" that he was a personality to the Englishman's liking.
Moreover, it is significant that he tried to see Buddha not as a "divine being" but as a "historical man.
In Christianity, God is the only One, so we cannot accept Buddha as a "divine being". That is why the "historical existence" is emphasized. This "historical existence" was previously discussed in this blog by Gen NakamuraGautama Buddha.introduced.
This book is truly a biography of the Buddha that presents an "undeified, human Buddha. Gen Nakamura has written many books on the "Human Buddha" and primitive Buddhism, and in another book, he himself stated, "We must actually go to India and experience the situation there, not just the Buddhism created only on a Western desk. I believe that he was looking at Buddhism from a different perspective from the Asian-disparaging Buddhist studies as described in "The Discovery of Buddhism in Britain". His Way of Life by Masatoshi Ueki, which I also read.Nakamura Gen, Buddhist Scholar: The Words and Thought of MotomichiI was really impressed when I read the
However, we must also refrain from uncritically accepting Gen Nakamura's theory. Times have changed, and research is being updated daily. As this blog introduces various Buddhist books, a completely different world of Buddhism has opened up today from that of Dr. Gen Nakamura's time. Of course, I strongly believe that it is because of Gen Nakamura's great research results that we have come to the present day.
Buddhist studies came in the form of imports from the West. It was a Buddhism constructed from literature found in India and its surroundings. There was no consideration given to the people who lived Buddhism, their culture, or their lives. There is no longer any Buddhism in India. The only Buddhism that could be seen was that of Southeast and East Asia. The root of the "supremacy of primitive Buddhism" was to look at them only from the viewpoint of contempt for Asia.
Both during the reign of Bhutta and later in the primitive Buddhist Order, there is a living life. There is also the life of the believers who support the Order. It is natural that people do not deny Buddhism by saying, "Buddha did not do 00," or "Buddha did not say 00," based only on the remaining literature. It is only natural that if you deny the present Buddhism by saying, "Buddha did not do zero or say zero," you will not be able to get along with the conversation.
Recent studies have gradually revealed aspects of the life and cult of Buddha during his lifetime. Criticism of Mahayana Buddhism from the viewpoint of the supremacy of primitive Buddhism is no longer valid.
For this.A History of Buddhism in New Asia 02 India II: The Formation and Development of Buddhism.and by Noboru Karashima and Yasuaki NaraA World History of Life 5: Faces of India.", ,Series on Mahayana Buddhism, Volume III: The Practice of Mahayana Buddhism., ,Series on Mahayana Buddhism, Vol. 5: Buddha and the Pure Land - Mahayana Buddhist Scriptures IIWritten by Yasuaki NaraA History of Indian Buddhism as Culture.Please refer to books such as
It is also very interesting to see how Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Thailand, which are considered to be similar to primitive Buddhism, actually is,An Invitation to Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia."and by Yoshio SugimotoBecoming a Fatalist in Sri Lanka, an Island of Buddhism and Caste."Written by Kimiaki Tanaka/Kazumi YoshizakiNepalese Buddhism."and other works are highly recommended.
This work, "The Discovery of Buddhism in Britain" was very interesting to me. I have also studied the Victorians and Marx before, so this book has many links to them, and I found it very stimulating.
This is a great book that I would highly recommend not only to those interested in Buddhism, but also to those interested in England and Western culture. Why not pick up a copy?
The above is "F. C. Almond's "The Discovery of Buddhism in England" - Buddhist Studies was born from a Victorian desk! This is where the roots of Mahayana Buddhism criticism originated".
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