Introduction to the History of Indian Buddhism (Buddhism and Modernity)

The most influential work on Buddhism to be published in the nineteenth century, Introduction à l’histoire du Buddhisme indien, by the great French scholar of Sanskrit Eugène Burnouf, set the course for the academic study of Buddhism, and Indian Buddhism in particular, for the next hundred years. First published in 1844, the masterwork was read by some of the most important thinkers of the time, including Schopenhauer and Nietzsche in Germany and Emerson and Thoreau in America. But a century and a half on, Burnouf’s text has largely been forgotten. All that changes with Katia Buffetrille and Donald S. Lopez Jr.’s English translation of this foundational text. Reemerging here as a vibrant artifact of intellectual history and as a progenitor of the often colorful genealogy of Buddhist studies, Introduction to the History of Indian Buddhism provides a clear view of how the religion was understood in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Burnouf was an impeccable scholar, and his vision, especially of the Buddha, continues to profoundly shape our modern understanding of Buddhism. Indeed, the work offers a wellspring of still-valuable information and insight into the theory and practice of Buddhism. In reintroducing Burnouf to a new generation of Buddhologists, Buffetrille and Lopez have revived a seminal text in the history of Orientalism. The most influential work on Buddhism to be published in the nineteenth century, Introduction à l'histoire du Buddhisme indien, by the great French scholar of Sanskrit Eugène Burnouf, set the course for the academic study of Buddhism, and Indian Buddhism in particular, for the next hundred years. First published in 1844, the masterwork was read by some of the most important thinkers of the time, including Schopenhauer and Nietzsche in Germany and Emerson and Thoreau in America. But a century and a half on, Burnouf's text has largely been forgotten. All that changes with Katia Buffetrille and Donald S. Lopez Jr.'s English translation of this foundational text. Reemerging here as a vibrant artifact of intellectual history and as a progenitor of the often colorful genealogy of Buddhist studies, Introduction to the History of Indian Buddhismprovides a clear view of how the religion was understood in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Burnouf was an impeccable scholar, and his vision, especially of the Buddha, continues to profoundly shape our modern understanding of Buddhism. Indeed, the work offers a wellspring of still-valuable information and insight into the theory and practice of Buddhism. In reintroducing Burnouf to a new generation of Buddhologists, Buffetrille and Lopez have revived a seminal text in the history of Orientalism The most influential work on Buddhism to be published in the nineteenth century, Introduction lhistoire du Buddhisme indien, by the great French scholar of Sanskrit Eugne Burnouf, set the course for the academic study of Buddhism, and Indian Buddhism in particular, for the next hundred years. First published in 1844, the masterwork was read by some of the most important thinkers of the time, including Schopenhauer and Nietzsche in Germany and Emerson and Thoreau in America. But a century and a half on, Burnoufs text has largely been forgotten. All that changes with Katia Buffetrille and Donald S. Lopez Jr.s English translation of this foundational text. Reemerging here as a vibrant artifact of intellectual history and as a progenitor of the often colorful genealogy of Buddhist studies, Introduction to the History of Indian Buddhism provides a clear view of how the religion was understood in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Burnouf was an impeccable scholar, and his vision, especially of the Buddha, continues to profoundly shape our modern understanding of Buddhism. Indeed, the work offers a wellspring of still-valuable information and insight into the theory and practice of Buddhism. In reintroducing Burnouf to a new generation of Buddhologists, Buffetrille and Lopez have revived a seminal text in the history of Orientalism. The most influential work on Buddhism to be published in the nineteenth century, Introduction à l'histoire du Buddhisme indien, by the great French scholar of Sanskrit Eugène Burnouf, set the course for the academic study of Buddhism—and Indian Buddhism in particular—for the next hundred years. First published in 1844, the masterwork was read by some of the most important thinkers of the time, including Schopenhauer and Nietzsche in Germany and Emerson and Thoreau in America. Katia Buffetrille and Donald S. Lopez Jr.'s expert English translation, Introduction to the History of Indian Buddhism, provides a clear view of how the religion was understood in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Burnouf was an impeccable scholar, and his vision, especially of the Buddha, continues to profoundly shape our modern understanding of Buddhism. In reintroducing Burnouf to a new generation of Buddhologists, Buffetrille and Lopez have revived a seminal text in the history of Orientalism. Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Introduction to the Translation, by Donald S. Lopez Jr.......Page 10 A Note on the Translation......Page 38 INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF INDIAN BUDDHISM......Page 44 Table of Contents Contained in the First Volume......Page 48 Analytical Table of the First Two Memoranda......Page 50 Foreword......Page 60 First Memorandum: Preliminary Observations......Page 64 Second Memorandum: Description of the Collection of the Books of Nepal......Page 90 First Section - General Description......Page 92 Section 2 - Sutras, or Discurses of Sakya......Page 124 Section 3 - Vinaya, or Discipline......Page 254 Section 4 - Abhidharma, or Metaphysics......Page 420 Section 5 - Tantras......Page 488 Section 6 - Works Bearing the Names of Authors......Page 514 Section 7 - History of the Collection of Nepal......Page 532 Appendixes......Page 544 Index......Page 604 First memorandum: general observations Second memorandum: description of the collection of the books of Nepal.