Buddha & the Sahibs [Paperback]

Charles Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2003

Today there are many Buddhists in the West, but for 2000 years the Buddha's teachings were unknown outside Asia. It was not until the late 18th century, when Sir William Oriental Jones, a British judge in India, broke through the Brahmin's prohibition on learning their sacred language. Sanskrit, that clues about the origins of a religion quite distinct from Hinduism began to be deciphered from inscriptions on pillars and rocks. This study tells the story of the search that followed, as evidence mounted that countries as diverse as Ceylon, Japan and Tibet shared a religion which had its origins in India yet was unknown there. British rule brought to India, Burma and Ceylon a whole band of enthusiastic Orientalist amateurs - soldiers, administrators and adventurers - intent on investigating the subcontinent's lost past. Unwittingly, these men helped lay the foundations for the revival of Buddhism in Asia during the 19th century and its spread to the West in the 20th. Charles Allen's book is a mixture of detective work and story-telling, as this acknowledged master of British Indian history pieces together early Buddhist history to bring a handful of extraoridinary characters to life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Few books have so succinctly yet accessibly investigated such a lesser-known yet seminally important corner of Indian history' -- Martin Booth, Sunday Times 'Allen has excelled himself, and this highly cultured and also finely illustrated offering is a thoroughly absorbing distraction' -- Justin Wintle, Financial Times 'In the nineteenth century, a group of enthusiastic Europeans ... set about unearthing evidence in India of ancient Buddhist teachings. Their fascinating story is told by Allen in an intriguing mixture of part detective work and part evocative storytelling' -- Daily Express

About the Author

Charles Allen made his reputation with his celebrated oral histories, starting with Plain Tales from the Raj, which has now sold over 250 000 copies. His most recent book was Soldier Sahibs, which the Sunday Times called 'magnificent' and the Daily Telegraph 'marvellous'.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Pb (August 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719554284
• ISBN-13: 978-0719554285
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Search for the Buddha, April 4, 2005

By 

A Reader (the Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Buddha and the Sahibs: The Men Who Discovered India's Lost Religion (Hardcover)

If one has an interest in the rediscovery of Buddhism that was completely lost in India, and how the discoveries by various adventurers, academics, soldiers, administrators, and seekers of truth revealed this religion to the West, then this is the book to read.

In the West today the Buddha's teachings on meditation, morality, truth, and liberation from suffering permeate modern psychology, philosophy, comparative religion, and many aspects of our world view that are now common knowledge.

This was not the case two centuries ago when a few intellectual explorers, mainly with the British East India Company, put on their boots and began digging into one of the world's great historical mysteries. One discovery led to another and another -- and today those discoveries provide a background for better understanding both how the Buddha's teachings were lost and how they were rediscovered.

I picked up this book in India. Here I was surprised to find no reviews for this scholarly, unique work of history. As I began to outline this review, I was told there was an American edition entitled "The Search for the Buddha: The Men Who Discovered India's Lost Religion."

To avoid being redundant, I encourage interested readers to go to that website and read the reviews. They give you excellent perspectives on this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insight into Buddhist and colonial history, August 29, 2007

By 

Ingela "Ingela" (Sydney, NSW) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buddha & the Sahibs (Paperback)

I love this book and am rereading it at the moment. Basically it details the history of the British 'Sahibs'in colonial India and their efforts to piece together the role of Buddhism in ancient Asia - especially in India. It is a fascinating historical insight into early Buddhism as well as colonial India. Importantly it is not dry at all. Very readable and really interesting.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable History, November 18, 2008

By 

Henry Kadoch "Spacecase" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Buddha & the Sahibs (Paperback)

In a world tainted by the ignorant rantings of Edward Said and his mis-characterization of Orientalists, where "the west" is seen only as a negative force, books like this one remind us of the unequaled contributions of Western curiosity and desire for knowledge to cultures which otherwise may have remained hidden forever.
When westerners arrived in India, all traces of Buddhism had vanished from the land that gave it life, and from the memories of its inhabitants. It was through the efforts of these curious orientalists that Buddhisms origins were re-discovered, catalogued, and preserved for mankind.
This book tells that story in a fascinating narrative, reminiscent of a non-fiction thriller. Fabulous, and important.