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Secondary sourceBook1914

The Buddha and His Religion

Jules Barthélemy-Saint-Hilaire · 1914

A 1914 English translation of a French scholar's study of the Buddha's life and the authenticity of Buddhism.

A later scholarly study of the Buddha's life and the historical authenticity of Buddhism.

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The Buddha and His ReligionPDF · 388 pages
J. Barthélemy-Saint-Hilaire, The Buddha and His Religion, 1914. Scanned book, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

Written by French scholar Jules Barthélemy-Saint-Hilaire and published in English translation in 1914, this book studies the Buddha's life and religion, including the question of the authenticity of early Buddhist sources.

Why it matters

The book discusses evidence for Buddhism's history, citing earlier scholars' work on Sanskrit, Pali, and other translations, as well as ancient inscriptions and Greek historical accounts. It reflects 19th-century European efforts to verify and understand Buddhist history through comparative scholarship.

Look closer

  • Why might the author spend time proving Buddhism's 'authenticity' before describing its teachings?
  • What kinds of evidence does the book mention for studying the Buddha's life (inscriptions, translations, historians)?
  • How might a 19th-century French scholar's perspective shape the way the Buddha's religion is presented?

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