Sir Edwin Arnold on Buddha
A generation ago little or nothing was known in Europe of this great faith of Asia, which had nevertheless existed during twenty-four centuries, and at this day surpasses, in the number of its followers and the area of its prevalence, any other form of creed. Four hundred and seventy millions of our race live and die in the tenets of Gautama; and the spiritual dominions of this ancient teacher extend, at the present time, from Nepal and Ceylon over the whole Eastern Peninsula to China, Japan, Tibet, Central Asia, Siberia, and even Swedish Lapland.
India itself might fairly be included in this magnificent empire of belief, for though the profession of Buddhism has for the most part passed away from the land of its birth, the mark of Gautama’s sublime teaching is stamped ineffaceably upon modern Brahmanism, and the most characteristic habits and convictions of the Hindus are clearly due to the benign influence of Buddha’s precepts. More than a third of mankind, therefore, owe their moral and religious ideas to this illustrious prince, whose personality, though imperfectly revealed in the existing sources of information, cannot but appear the highest, gentlest, holiest, and most beneficent, with one exception, in the history of Thought. Discordant in frequent particulars, and sorely overlaid by corruptions, inventions, and misconceptions, the Buddhistical books yet agree in the one point of recording nothing — no single act or word—which mars the perfect purity and tenderness of this Indian teacher, who united the truest princely qualities with the intellect of a sage and the passionate devotion of a martyr.
Sir Edwin Arnold London, July, 1879
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
Sir Edwin Arnold was a 1th century English poet, teacher and journalist, most known for his controversial, piece of work … The Light of Asia. The Light of Asia. – a poem which sparked Western interest in Buddhism. It is a narrative of the life and philosophy of Gautama Buddha. Sir Edwin Arnold had spent a great deal of his time on the Indian sub-continent and in the Far East. It was published in 1879. The book surpassed all previous books on Buddhism which had been translated into European languages. This book had in fact inspired many especially westerners as it gave a better insight into the philosophy of Buddha. Interesting read.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing .
Sir Edwin Arnold really admires Siddharta/ Shakyamuni. He probably has past life connections with him and Shakyamuni’s teachings are very powerful to even reach the western world so long ago! I hope that more people in the west will practice the teachings of Lord Buddha.
I had the great fortune to have been able to travel to 3 of the 4 great sites of Buddha’s life – Bodhgaya (Buddha’s enlightenment), Sarnath (Where Buddha first taught) and Kushinagar (place of Buddha’s parinirvana). They were hallowed placed pervaded by the Buddha’s compassion. I revelled in the spirituality of these places and at the same time felt sad that the great Buddhist institutions that were built there by ancient devotees are now just ruins.
The remnants of these great buildings bear testament to the Buddha’s teaching on impermanence. It was sad but they served their purpose, to preserve and propagate the Buddha’s teachings far and wide. I am sure these great institutions were pivotal in the expansion of the Dharma in the past. Thus, pilgrims today still travel to these places in memory and observance of the Buddha’s sacred doctrine.
This is an interesting post about this 19th century poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, who was enraptured by Buddhism yet intriguingly, did not appear to embrace the very faith he admired so greatly. His epic poem on the life of Buddha, called “The Light of Asia”, may not be accurate with the use of dramatic licence but it was a good introduction to Buddhism for the British and American audiences. It was also translated to several languages, including Hindi, which i thought was interesting because it meant that this work found its way back to the land where the Buddha came from.
Sir Edwin’s observation that Buddhism may have left India, but it has left its mark is very true. “More than a third of mankind, therefore, owe their moral and religious ideas to this illustrious prince, whose personality, though imperfectly revealed in the existing sources of information, cannot but appear the highest, gentlest, holiest, and most beneficent, with one exception, in the history of Thought.” It is quite amazing to think that ONE man, by achieving enlightenment, has affected more than a third of mankind and continues to do so. The Buddhist principles of universal values are now spread via new age gurus and talk show hosts, even if they are not aware of it themselves. However, as Sir Edwin says, they are ‘imperfectly revealed’ so how much more powerful are the teachings when we go back to the source. This is why it is so important to have an authentic lineage for our spiritual study and progress.
Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904)
British literary figure who composed the influential poem The Light of Asia published in 1879. The poem describes the life and teachings of the Buddha in a melodramatic style and became very popular with Victorian audiences. Himself a Christian, Arnold saw much in common between Christianity and Buddhism. He became Principal of Deccan College, Poona, India, at the age of 25 and as well as composing poetry translated texts from Sanskrit and authored a Turkish grammar. He visited Bodhgayā in 1885 and campaigned for funds to restore it from its dilapidated condition.
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/edwin-arnold#ixzz2H96ceAZb
Wow… What Sir Edwin wrote about the Buddha shows his very strong conviction and absolute devotion to the truth – Dharma.
His devotion and conviction clearly shines in this statement
“Discordant in frequent particulars, and sorely overlaid by corruptions, inventions, and misconceptions, the Buddhistical books yet agree in the one point of recording nothing — no single act or word—which mars the perfect purity and tenderness of this Indian teacher, who united the truest princely qualities with the intellect of a sage and the passionate devotion of a martyr.”
And in just these simplest paragraph he captures the essence of our nature in comparison to the Buddha’s nature.
And it’s true even just by looking at an image of a Buddha you get that sense of peace and serenity he mentioned above, it’s just we didn’t know how to put it in words so eloquently. Indeed he is not just a true believer but how someone who has the experience of Dharma himself. Inspiring!
Sir Edwin Arnold’s text “LIGHT OF ASIA” dealing with the life and teachings of the Buddha, was said to be the first text to bring a more or less faithful account of the Buddha and Buddhism to the western world. Such interactions were noted to be the beginning of a momentous change for the Buddhist’s World. Arnold was also said to have mooted the idea of restoring Buddha Gaya to the Buddhists and placing it in the hands of a representative committee of Buddhist nations. It seems Arnold had been the major campaigner for the restoration, through his numerous writings to the politicians in Britain, addressing gatherings of monks in Tokyo, meeting and pleading with the Indian Secretary of State, in London. Arnold was said to have excerted himself immensely, and has stated that he was prepared to sacrifice his life for this purpose. In the decades that followed, Arnold’s untiring efforts bore fruit – Bodh Gaya became a meeting place for the Buddhists and was restored to Buddhist control in 1947.
Buddha’s philosophy has influenced so many people, beings and cultures. The impact of the Buddhist philosophy has pervaded our world for the past 2600 years, for a religion to endure so long it is bound to have a great impact on he cultures of the world.
Sir Edwin Arnold says that: ” the Buddhistical books yet agree in one point of recording nothing – no single act or word – which mars the perfect purity and tenderness of this Indian teacher”.
The purity of the Truth of Buddha’s teachings, and the peace and compassion that is the enduring message of the Dharma remain unassailable to this day. Even as Science probes, using tools of logic and empiricism, Lord Buddha’s teachings remain intact , withstanding even scrutiny under the microscope.
Sir Edwin Arnold, a journalist who traveled to various countries and has many creation of books, one of the most successful is The Light of Asia he wrote in 1879, this book went through numerous editions in England and America. It is an Indian epic, dealing with the life and teaching of Buddha, which are expounded with much wealth of local colour and not a little felicity of versification.
(Source from: http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Sir_Edwin_Arnold)
It is true that what Sir Arnold say, Buddha’s teaching is so valid that even until today, we are still living with it, without the Buddha’s teaching, many of the people’s mind today will degenerate a lot.
Sir Edwin Arnold most notable literary work was the Light of Asia which was on the life and teachings of Buddha. Some scholars were of the opinion that it was not correct teachings of Buddha and some were offended becos of the suggested analogy on Shakyamuni Buddha and Jesus. This analogy was recently discussed in a BBC documentary. An interesting revelation.
It is wonderful how Sir Edwin refers to the Buddha as the “perfect purity” and I was thinking how true that description remains today of the Buddha and His teachings. One of the more popular past times amongst pseudo-intellectuals is to prove the foundations of different religious beliefs to be wrong using science as a weapon but as we know, the more science probes into core Buddhist beliefs the more it confirms what the Buddha taught.
Whilst what the Buddha taught might have found acceptance in Asian cultures due to core similarities to existing religions, it is amazing how it managed to grow a strong foothold in cultures where Buddhist concepts were antitheses of long held views and dogma. It can only be that what the Buddha taught was the truth and the truth is pure. The Buddha didn’t invent the truth any more than Isaac Newton invented gravity but the Buddha observed the truth and taught us how to do the same to experience the truth for ourselves.
It is evident Sir Edwin Arnold admires Gautama Buddha or Siddharta Gautama Buddha in his writings. He is in awe that the teachings of Buddhism pervades us for centuries and culture. I like what he said about the teachings of Buddhism – the Highest, Gentlest, Holiest, and most Beneficent, with one exception, in the history of Thought.
This is beautifully expressed by an outstanding man himself who really knows the teachings and was touched by it.