Americans Who Work for the Buddhist Cause

e United States, an American went to work for theWorcester, Massachusetts in 2404/1861. He accepted
revival of Buddhism in a Buddhist country beforethe message of the Buddha while he was a Christian
Buddhism was introduced to America. This personmissionary in China. Later he founded a brotherhood
was Colonel H.S. Olcott who went to Ceylon in 2423called “The Followers of the Buddha,”
1880, established the Theosophical Society, andwhich became an inspiration to other American
worked for the revival of Buddhism, Buddhist cultureBuddhists. In the field of Sanskrit Buddhist studies, an
and education in that country. His famous bookAmerican contribution was made by Professor
“Buddhist Catechism” is a work of greatEdgerton who compiled for Yale University the
clarity. In an attempt to outline the basic beliefs of the“Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and
Buddhists to which the Theravada, Mahayana and allDictionary” published in 1953. However, in
other schools could agree, Olcott wrote in 2434/1891comparison with the numerous works produced in
“Fourteen Basic Buddhist Beliefs” whichEurope, American literary activities of this early period
was accepted by Buddhist leaders of severalwere nearly beneath notice.
countries at a congress in Madras.1Generally speaking, it was Europe that played the
In 2436/1893 Anagarika Dharmapala of Ceyloncentral part in carrying the message of the Buddha to
represented Buddhism at the World’sthe West in the early period. Academic studies and
Parliament of Religions held in Chicago. It was at thisscholarly research became characteristic of the
time that Mr. C.T.S. Strauss declared himself a BuddhistBuddhist activities during these first hundred years.
by receiving the Threefold Refuge and the FiveNames of Orientalists and Indologists, historians and
Precepts from Dharmapala. Strauss was probably thephilologists, along with their scholarly works, filled up the
first American to become a Buddhist. It was alsopages of the early history of Buddhism in the West.
during this same period of time that the first JapaneseNames and titles cited above are only pioneers and
Buddhist Mission was said to arrive in San Franciscosome distinguished examples. A great number of other
and commence their activities in the United States. Thisscholars, both pupils and colleagues of these leading
can be regarded as the introduction of Buddhism tofigures, had their shares in this Western tradition of
the United States.Buddhist scholarship and academic study of Buddhism.
In 2427/1884 Dr. Paul Carus published in Illinois hisSome popular texts and works of importance have
famous book, “The Gospel of thehad many printings or were published in many versions.
Buddha.” The book has gone through manyAmong popular texts, the best known is the
printings and over one million copies of it have beenDhammapada, which has been translated into many
sold since its first appearance. During this time, thelanguages and of which not less than twenty versions
Harvard Oriental Series was founded by Charleshave been published. Among the discourses of the
Rockwel Lanman and Henry Clarke Warren. AmongBuddha, the Kalamasutta, rightly called the first charter
the works included in this series were Warren’sof free thought, seems to be the best known and the
Buddhism in Translations (2439/1896) and Eugenemost oftenquoted, the only possible exception being
Watson Burlingame’s Buddhist Legends whichthe First Sermon. Among post-canonical works the
is the English translation of theVisuddhimagga and the Abhidhammatthasangaha are
Dhammapada-Commentary (2464/1921). A Buddhistnext only to the Milindapanha in popularity and in
Bible by Dwight Goddard was also an Americanpublication statistics.
contribution to Buddhist studies. Goddard was born in