Buddhist India, a small book (320 pages, page size approx. 4x6), was first published in 1903 and it is a classic of Buddhist enquiry. Written by T.W. Rhys Davids, the Pali scholar who was the founder and guiding light of the Pali Text Society, it is a very readable early recounting of the historical, political and sociological facts that were being gleaned from the Pali scriptures by the pioneering scholars of the day.
We forget that Europe had almost no knowledge of the rich cultural history of Buddhist India prior to the late Victorian age. The Pali scriptures that had been "discovered" in Sri Lanka and Burma were at the time a new and revealing source of information for all of Europe and the New World about remote and mysterious people, places and events.
Buddhist India reports on this world of ancient India, covering such topics as the kings and the nations they ruled, village life, social structures, economic conditions, language, literature and religion. Some history of the Buddhist kings that followed the Buddha and spread the Dhamma widely completes the scope of this study.
Much later study of these topics has been done since the time of this book, all of it built on what Rhys Davids and his colleagues were discovering at the time. What I like about Buddhist India is the freshness and sense of wonder that comes through the writing in this report. The factual information is still basically valid and it paints a lovely picture of the conditions prevailing in India during and just after the time of the Buddha.
Pariyatti offers the 1985 edition published in India by Motilal Banarsidas; the paperback version is $12.95 and hardcover is $21.
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