Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter (Routledgecurzon Critical Studies in Buddhism)

289 Pages·2006·1.15 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Harris

THERAVADA BUDDHISM AND THE
BRITISH ENCOUNTER
This work explores the British encounter with Buddhism in nineteenth-century
Sri Lanka. Its central concern is the way Buddhism was represented and
constructed by the British scholars, officials, missionaries, travellers and religious
seekers who travelled to the country. The book traces three main historical phases
in the encounter from 1796 to 1900 and gives a sensitive and nuanced exegesis of
the cultural and political influences that shaped the early British understanding of
Buddhism. This work fills a significant gap in scholarship on Theravada
Buddhism in Sri Lanka and its subsequent transmission to the West. Of particular
significance is its coverage of how nineteenth-century missionary writings on
Buddhism affected both the development of Protestant Buddhism and
Christian–Buddhist relations in the twentieth century. Through its thorough
exploration of original materials connected with several important pioneer writers
on Buddhism, it expands the readers’ understanding of interreligious and
intercultural relations under colonialism.
Elizabeth J. Harris is an Honorary Lecturer at Birmingham University and
Secretary for Inter Faith Relations for the Methodist Church in Britain. A former
Research Fellow at Westminster College, Oxford, she is the author of many books
and articles on Theravada Buddhism and Buddhist–Christian encounter.
ROUTLEDGE CRITICAL STUDIES
IN BUDDHISM
General Editors
Charles S. Prebish and
Damien Keown
Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhismis a comprehensive study of the Buddhist
tradition. The series explores this complex and extensive tradition from a variety
of perspectives, using a range of different methodologies.
The series is diverse in its focus including historical studies, textual translations
and commentaries, sociological investigations, bibliographic studies and
considerations of religious practice as an expression of Buddhism’s integral
religiosity. It also presents materials on modern intellectual historical studies
including the role of Buddhist thought and scholarship in a contemporary, critical
context and in the light of current social issues. The series is expansive and
imaginative in scope, spanning more than two and a half millennia of Buddhist
history. It is receptive to all research works that inform and advance our
knowledge and understanding of the Buddhist tradition.
A SURVEY OF VINAYA WOMEN IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF
LITERATURE THE BUDDHA
Charles S. Prebish Kathryn R. Blackstone
THE REFLEXIVE NATURE THE RESONANCE OF
OFAWARENESS EMPTINESS
Paul Williams Gay Watson
ALTRUISM AND AMERICAN BUDDHISM
REALITY Edited by Duncan Ryuken Williams and
Paul Williams Christopher Queen
BUDDHISM AND HUMAN IMAGING WISDOM
RIGHTS Jacob N. Kinnard
Edited by Damien Keown,
CharlesS.Prebish and PAIN AND ITS ENDING
Wayne Husted Carol S. Anderson
EMPTINESS APPRAISED RELIGIOUS MOTIVATION
David F. Burton AND THE ORIGINS OF
BUDDHISM
THE SOUND OF LIBERATING Torkel Brekke
TRUTH
Edited by Sallie B. King and DEVELOPMENTS IN
Paul O. Ingram AUSTRALIAN BUDDHISM
Michelle Spuler
BUDDHIST THEOLOGY
Edited by Roger R. Jackson and ZEN WAR STORIES
John J. Makransky Brian Victoria
THE GLORIOUS DEEDS THE BUDDHIST UNCONSCIOUS
OF PURNA William S. Waldron
Joel Tatelman
INDIAN BUDDHIST
EARLY BUDDHISM – A NEW THEORIES OF PERSONS
APPROACH James Duerlinger
Sue Hamilton
ACTION DHARMA
CONTEMPORARY BUDDHIST Edited by Christopher Queen, Charles
ETHICS S. Prebish and Damien Keown
Edited by Damien Keown
TIBETAN AND ZEN
INNOVATIVE BUDDHIST BUDDHISM IN BRITAIN
WOMEN David N. Kay
Edited by Karma Lekshe Tsomo
THE CONCEPT OF THE BUDDHA
TEACHING BUDDHISM IN Guang Xing
THE WEST
Edited by V.S. Hori, R.P. Hayes and THE PHILOSOPHY OF DESIRE IN
J.M. Shields THE BUDDHIST PALI CANON
David Webster
EMPTY VISION
David L. McMahan THE NOTION OF DITTHI IN
THERAVADA BUDDHISM
SELF, REALITY AND REASON Paul Fuller
IN TIBETAN PHILOSOPHY
Thupten Jinpa THE BUDDHIST THEORY OF
SELF-COGNITION
IN DEFENSE OF DHARMA Zhihua Yao
Tessa J. Bartholomeusz
MORAL THEORY IN
BUDDHIST PHENOMENOLOGY FANTIDEVA’S FIKSASAMUCCAYA
Dan Lusthaus Barbra R. Clayton
BUDDHIST STUDIES FROM BUDDHISM IN CANADA
INDIA TO AMERICA Edited by Bruce Matthews
Edited by Damien Keown
BUDDHISM, CONFLICT AND
DISCOURSE AND IDEOLOGY IN VIOLENCE IN MODERN
MEDIEVAL JAPANESE SRI LANKA
BUDDHISM Edited by Mahinda Deegalle
Edited by Richard K. Payne and Taigen
Dan Leighton THERAVADA BUDDHISM
AND THE BRITISH
BUDDHIST THOUGHT AND ENCOUNTER
APPLIED PSYCHOLOGICAL Religious, missionary and colonial
RESEARCH experience in nineteenth-century
Edited by D.K. Nauriyal, Michael SriLanka
S.Drummond and Y.B. Lal Elizabeth J. Harris
The following titles are published in association with the
Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies
TheOxford Centre for Buddhist Studiesconducts and promotes rigorous teaching
and research into all forms of the Buddhist tradition.
EARLY BUDDHIST METAPHYSICS
Noa Ronkin
MIPHAM’S DIALECTICS AND THE DEBATES
ON EMPTINESS
Karma Phuntsho
HOW BUDDHISM BEGAN
The conditioned genesis of the early teachings
Richard F. Gombrich
BUDDHIST MEDITATION
An anthology of texts from the Pali Canon
Sarah Shaw
A
THERAV DA BUDDHISM
AND THE BRITISH
ENCOUNTER
Religious, missionary and colonial experience
in nineteenth-century Sri Lanka
Elizabeth J. Harris
First published 2006
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
© 2006 Elizabeth J. Harris
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Harris, Elizabeth J. (Elizabeth June), 1950–
Theravada Buddhism and the British encounter: religious,
missionary and colonial experience in nineteenth century
Sri Lanka / Elizabeth Harris.
p. cm. – (Routledge critical studies in Buddhism)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Buddhism – Sri Lanka – Study and teaching – Great Britain –
History – 19th century. 2. Missions to Buddhists – Sri Lanka –
History – 19th century. 3. Buddhism – Sri Lanka – History – 19th century.
4. Buddhism – Great Britain – History – 19th century. I. Title. II. Series.
BQ359.H37 2006
294.3(cid:1)91(cid:1)09549309034–dc22 2005022225
ISBN10: 0–415–37125–2
ISBN13: 978–0–415–37125–4
DEDICATED TO
ALOYSIUS PIERIS SJ
WITH AFFECTION AND THANKS

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements xi
List of abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
PART I
1796–1830 9
1 Introduction 11
2 The early British visitors: mapping the ground 20
PART II
1830–1870 35
3 Introduction 37
4 The arrogance of power: the memoir writers 44
5 Christian exclusivism: the Protestant missionaries
and their friends 53
6 Missionary scholars: Daniel Gogerly and Robert
Spence Hardy 62
7 Buddhism’s glorious core: Turnour’s allies 76
PART III
1870–1900 87
8 Introduction 89
9 The Buddha as hero: Arnold’s The Light of Asia 96
ix