Role of English in the spread of Buddhism

By Kalakeerthi Edwin Ariyadasa

“It was never the Buddhist way to proselytise - in the sense of forcing ideas and beliefs upon an unwilling audience, much less to exert pressure of any kind, or any kind of flattery, deceit or cajolery, to win adherence to one's own point of view. Buddhist missionaries have never competed for converts in the market place.” - Prof. G.P. Malalasekera

Currently, an unmistakably overwhelming alertness about Buddhist thought and its way of life has begun to stir in the spiritual ambience of mankind. A widespread interest is being taken nowadays in the philosophic attitudes, the ideas and the ideals of the Buddhist system by quite an extensive swath of people in the global community.

Massive movement

There is a surprising facet to this phenomenon. Most of those people who are keen to discover solutions to quell the irritations that trouble their souls find relief through certain methods available within the Buddhist way. They acquire an added pleasure when they realise that to derive benefits from these solutions associated with Buddhist thoughts, it is not at all necessary to change the faith they already profess.

A case in point is a massive movement that is sweeping across almost all the States in the US and more than 30 countries.

This mind-training program - Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction - is a course of discipline that enables masses caught up in a “stressed out, multi-tasking culture”, to lead a focused life, with the mind-unshaken, amidst harsh distractions that shatter inner stillness.

The core concepts of this program have a close affinity to the theory of the “Establishment of Mindfulness” which is a central pre-occupation of Buddhist thought. “Satipatthana” - “establishment of mindfulness”, is recognised in Buddhism as an unerring means to approach liberation.

Effectiveness

The gurus of “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction” are keen to avoid an association with any kind of spiritual system to achieve greater effectiveness. They feel that, it is easier for a practitioner to take this discipline as a process of mind building, rather than a spiritual exercise. But, the breath-focused meditation, that is advocated by Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, is clearly derived from the Buddhist Ana-pana Sati (Being mindful of Breathing).

But the larger truth is that everywhere in the world today Buddhist thoughts are being sought out as an effective antidote to globally experienced mass restlessness.

When we consider the renewed global interest in Buddhism especially in the West, a surprising revelation comes to light.

Missionary effort

In the earlier eras of Buddhist history, the missionary effort was restricted to Asian territories. Emperor Asoka the righteous sent missionaries to various parts of India and to neighbouring lands.

But many centuries later, a revolutionary upsurge occurred. When India, Sri Lanka and many other countries came under the yoke of the British imperial rule, their cherished liberty was snuffed out in one fell swoop.

Language

But in a turn of events, that many would never have expected, the language of the imperial ruler became a prime linguistic vehicle for the eternal teachings of the Buddha.

Outstanding scholars, British imperial administrators and seekers of the truth discovered Buddhism and conveyed its noble message to the world outside.

In 1879, Sir Edwin Arnold composed his epic of the life of Prince Siddhartha, titling it Light of Asia. Millions of readers, the world over, savoured the sacred ecstasy of absorbing the lyrical rhythms of Sir Edwin Arnold, as he enticingly extols the life and the spiritual quest of Prince Siddhartha Gauthama.

At this point in history, we must acquire the capacity to discriminate between evil imperial devices and the inestimable value of English and its astonishing literature.

Tagore

Indian savant Rabindranath Tagore quite rightly (and emphatically too) pointed out the need to reject the harshness of imperial rule, while whole-heartedly opting for the wholesome utilisation of English.

In our country many scholars writing and conducting research in English, promoted the global awareness of Buddhism. Dr. Rhys Davids was sent to Sri Lanka to strengthen the British rule.

Buddhism's awe and sublime splendour overwhelmed him, converting him to a foremost Buddhist scholar.

It is high time, we undertook a sustained research effort to fully assess the role of English in the spread of Buddhism worldwide.

Convert

Anagarika Dharmapala's spell-binding English address at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago in 1893 produced the first convert to Buddhism on American soil. This was C.T. Strauss of New York.

Another pioneering Buddhist missionary from Sri Lanka kindled an interest in Buddhism both in the East and the West. This pioneer Ven. Narada Maha Thera stirred a profound interest in Buddhism in the course of his sermon-delivering holy tours. English was his medium. His The Buddha and His Teachings is still among the most influential works on Buddhism in English.

Ven. Walpola Rahula added substantially to the English literature on Buddhism. Ven. Dr. Kirinde Dhammananda Maha Nayaka Thera wrote profusely in English to spread the word of the Buddha at global level.

Ven. Weragoda Sarada Maha Thera Viharadhipathi of the Singapore Buddhist Meditation Centre has published over 300 titles in English on Buddhism and related issues to enlighten the readers all over the world about the timeless wows of the Buddha. As a high-tech modern missionary Bhikkhu, he has brought out a whole series of e-books as well. This magnum opus, he has authored to date is “The Treasury of Truth - The Illustrated English Translation of the Dhammapada, edited by Edwin Ariyadasa. This work is extensively used academically too.

I have noted in passing, only a few writers of Buddhist issues. Most of them are associated with Sri Lanka but the influence of their writings on Buddhism have a global reach.

Ven. Piyadassi, Prof. G.P. Malalasekera and Dr. E.W. Adikaram too are among those writers and speakers on Buddhist issues in the medium of English.

In the modern world, the Supreme Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama, too resorts to English, when he addresses his global audiences to elucidate the wows of the Buddha for our day.

When viewed objectively, English stands out predominantly as the language of Buddhism, both for the East and the West.

Both the Theravada and the Mahayana schools, resort to English, when they need to capture the attention of the world.

While impartially recognising the stupendous service rendered to Buddhism by English to enlighten the world, a body of scholars should work to compile a list, at least of the more important works in English on the Buddha.

We must entertain a sense of gratitude to English for protecting and perpetuating Buddhism.