Introduction à l'histoire du Buddhisme Indien

Abstract

Eugène Burnouf (1801–52), an eminent French orientalist and scholar of Sanskrit, made groundbreaking contributions to the knowledge of Zoroastrianism and to the deciphering of the Zend and Pāli languages. He was a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, and of numerous Asiatic societies throughout Europe. When he first published this monumental work of scholarship in 1844, Burnouf established European Buddhist studies on solid foundations. In it, he presents the Indian historical context in which Buddhism developed, as well as its connections and debates with Brahmanism. He also sheds light on the role of the caste system in this religion. To this day, Burnouf's pioneering vision continues to shape our understanding of Buddhism. This second edition was published posthumously in 1876, with an introduction by the French philosopher and journalist Jules Barthélemy Saint-Hilaire (1805–95). It remains of relevance to students of religion, oriental studies and Indian history.

Getting off the Wheel: A Conceptual History of the New Age Concept of Enlightenment

“…To support his claim, Burnouf offered a translation of a verse from the Avadānaśataka, a Sanskrit anthology of Buddhist legends: Until finally Vipaśyin, the completely perfect Buddha, after having performed the totality of obligations of a Buddha, was, like a fire of which the fuel is consumed, entirely annihilated in the elements of nirvāṇa in which nothing remains of that which constitutes existence. Burnouf 1876Burnouf [1844: 525 Conceived in such a way, nirvāṇa is a grim prospect. Although Burnouf probably misconstrued the original meaning of the text, his account was extremely influential.…”

Meditation in contemporary contexts

“…Here, 'meditation' is often seen as a preparatory practice for 'contemplation', which represents a higher, non-discursive form of devotion, prayer, and insight (Beier 2009). In the third, many technical distinctions between 'meditation' and 'contemplation' are left aside, so that both terms are adapted for comparative analyses and taxonomies, serving as denominators for a variety of religiousphilosophical practices, especially those related to newly 'discovered' Buddhist, Vedic-Brahmanic, and Taoist traditions (see, e.g., Burnouf 1844;Müller 1859). This same time period in the late 19th century also witnessed new approaches in Western esotericism, such as the influential Theosophical Society, which had distinct ways of characterizing 'meditation', building both on indigenous Western traditions and influences from Asian religions and philosophies (Baier 2012).…”

Early Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism II: New Perspectives

“…From time to time scholars suggest using the terms Northern and Southern to distinguish Mah ay ana and non-Mah ay ana. This basic division was first used by George Turnour (1837) and was adopted and popularized by Burnouf (1844). It is thus significantly older than the Hīnay ana ⁄ Mah ay ana division.…”

“…The knee jerk reaction has always been that it must have been some sort of school or sect. The first scholar to notice a distinction between Mahāyāna sūtras and more traditional ones was Eugène Burnouf (1844) and he immediately suggested that they were the product of a distinct school (école). Other scholars followed his lead and set about trying to figure out what sort of school it was and how it came into existence.…”