Brief History Of Buddhist Studies In Europe And Maerica

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

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THE EASTERN BUDDHIST
of words and expressions which belong to the language and the authentic doctrine of Buddhism (Le Lotus de la Bonne Loi, p. 653). Burnouf's careful examination of the inscriptions in the tenth appendix of his book (pp. 652-781) resulted in a more adequate interpretation of many passages. His work was continued by Kern who in 1873 published a monograph on the "Chronology of the Southern Buddhists and the monuments of Açoka the Buddhist" (Over de Faartelling der Zuidelijke Buddhisten en de Gedenkstukken van Açoka den Buddhist, Amsterdam, 1873). In 1874 Barth published a long review of Kern's work.36 In 1877 General Alexander Cunningham (1814-1893), who in 1870 became director-general of the "Archaeological Survey of India," published as volume I of the Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum a comprehensive edition of the inscriptions of Aśoka. New inscriptions continued to be discovered. Senart, who in 1879 wrote a long article on Cunningham's edition, prepared a new edition of the inscriptions in a long series of articles in the Journal Asiatique which were published later in two volumes: Les inscriptions de Piyadasi, Paris, 1881-1886. Senart's great knowledge of Middle-Indian languages enabled him to make an important contribution to the study of the language and the grammar of the inscriptions. Senart also studied the inscriptions in a larger perspective in an article published in 1889.37 On the basis of the inscriptions, Senart described a popular Buddhism which attached more importance to happiness in this world and to rebirth in heaven than to Nirvāṇa and to abstruse speculations on the causal chain. According to him, Buddhism was at that time a large popular movement inspired by an elevated ethical code and reacting against ritual Brahmanism in the same way as contemporary Hinduism. Barth did not accept Senart's conclusions and pointed out that dogmatical speculations must have originated very soon in Buddhism.38 La Vallée Poussin remarked that from the beginning Buddhism was at the same time not only a religion of the masses but also of a clergy which propagated a doctrine of salvation and ascetism.39 In the preface of the second edition of his Buddha, Oldenberg entirely rejected Senart's ideas
36 Euvres, III, 1917, pp. 131-139.
37 Un roi de l'Inde au IIIe siècle avant notre ère. Açoka et le bouddhisme, Revue des Deux Mondes, 1er mars 1889 (tome 92), pp. 67-108.
38
Euvres, II, 1914, pp. 55-57.
39
Bouddhisme, Études et matériaux, London, 1898, pp. 31-33.
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