Romantic Dharma: The Emergence of Buddhism into Nineteenth-Century Europe, by Mark S. Lussier

Abstract

"Romantic Dharma maps the emergence of Buddhism into European consciousness during the first half of the 19th century, probes the shared ethical and intellectual commitments embedded in Buddhist and Romantic thought, and proposes potential ways by which those insights translate into contemporary critical and pedagogical practices. This book maps the movement of European colonial institutions and individuals across the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal and Tibet and the reverse flow of textual materials to the primary sites for Oriental Studies in India and Europe. These emergent texts illustrate the compatible view of the human condition in both European and Oriental bodies of thought and identifies shared strategies for alleviating the suffering of all sentient beings. Romantic Dharma reveals an "engaged Romanticism" relevant to scholars and teachers. The text, therefore, has a trajectory that extends from historical encounters through textual intersections to current concerns"-- "Romantic Dharma maps the emergence of Buddhism into European consciousness during the first half of the nineteenth century, probes the shared ethical and intellectual commitments embedded in Buddhist and Romantic thought, and proposes potential ways by which those insights translate into contemporary critical and pedagogical practices"-- Publisher