Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter by Elizabeth Harris

Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter by Elizabeth Harris

This major new work explores the British encounter with Buddhism in nineteenth century Sri Lanka, examining the way Buddhism was represented and constructed in the eyes of the British scholars, officials, travellers and religious seekers who first encountered it. Tracing the three main historical phases of the encounter from 1796 to 1900, the book provides a sensitive and nuanced exegesis of the cultural and political influences that shaped the early British understanding of Buddhism and that would condition its subsequent transmission to the West. Expanding our understanding of inter-religious relations between Christians and Buddhists, the book fills a significant gap in the scholarship on Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka by concentrating on missionary writings and presenting a thorough exploration of original materials of several important pioneers in Buddhist studies and mission studies.

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.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780415371254
ISBN 10	0415371252
Title	Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter
Author	Elizabeth Harris
Series	Routledge Critical Studies In Buddhism
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Routledge
Year published	2006-03-15
Number of pages	274
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.