Brief History Of Buddhist Studies In Europe And Maerica

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

Page 19

BUDDHIST STUDIES IN THE WEST
lished. Among his posthumous papers are an almost complete translation of the Așțasāhasrikā Prajñāparamitā and translations of the Kārandavyūha (which took him only ten days to complete) and the Sumāghāvadāna.46 Burnouf carefully read many other texts, even such difficult and voluminous texts as the Mahāvastu and the Abhidharmakośavyākhyā. The amount of work done by Burnouf in the last fifteen years of his life is staggering. Not only did he study many Sanskrit Buddhist manuscripts, but he also continued his studies of Avestan and Pehlevi texts, and his translation of the Bhāgavata Purāņa. In connection with his Pāli studies he undertook the study of Sinhalese, Burmese and Siamese translations and commentaries. Moreover, he did not neglect modern Indo-Aryan languages such as Bengali, Marathi and Gujarati. For most of these languages he had to compile his own dictionary. All this was done without neglecting his duties as Professor at the Collège de France and often in poor health.
Burnouf stressed the fact that Indian Buddhism had to be studied on the basis of the Sanskrit texts from Nepal and the Pāli texts from Ceylon.47 ACcording to him it would be possible to find the fundamental and ancient elements of Buddhism in that which was common to both the Sanskrit and the Pāli texts.48 Burnouf was well aware of the fundamental importance of the study of the texts for the history of Buddhism.49 His idea with regard to India at the time of the Buddha, the doctrine of the Buddha and its later development, the relation of Buddhism to castes, etc. which he develops in the Introduction are all based on a careful study of the texts. It is only due to the progress in the study of Buddhist literature that some conclusions he arrived at have had to be modified. However, even after almost 130 years his Introduction and also his translation of the Saddharmapundarika are works which one can never read without learning something. A detailed survey of the contents of these two works can be found in Windisch's work.50
Burnouf appreciated the importance of Tibetan translations for the study
46 47 48 49 50
Ibid., pp. 63 and 65. Introduction, p. 12. Ibid., p. 31. Ibid., p. 123. Op. cit., pp. 131-139.