Present work is a treatise on Buddhism published in honor of Dr. Alexander Duff. It covers a series of 18 lectures that were delivered in Edinburgh in his honor by the author. It covers every facet of Buddhism and its connection with Brahmanism and Hinduism and even with Jainism and its contrast with Christianity. The author has been able to combine scientific accuracy with empirical analysis, basing his conclusions on self study of Buddhist texts to verify all doubtful statements and translations. He was the first scholar to bring the study of Buddhism and it's sacred language Pali, a life long preparatory study of Brahmanism and it's language Sanskrit, without the study of which any study on Buddhism would be shallow. This work claims individuality that separates it from that of others-an individuality that will be extolled by students of Buddhism as helping to clear a thorny road and introduce some order and coherence into the chaotic confusion of Buddhist ideas.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR M Monier-Williams
Sir M. Monier Williams, the Sanskrit Lexicographer and Indologist of international repute was born at Bombay in 1819. He was LL.D. of Calcutta, a D.C.L. of Oxford and Ph.D. of Gottingen. He was a pupil of the illustrious Prof. H.H.Wilson and was awarded the Boden Scholarship in 1843. In 1844 he was appointed the professor of Sanskrit, Bengali and Telugu at the East India Company's College at Haileybury, was elected the Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford, in 1860, a post which he held till his death in 1899. During his tenure, he was able to set up the Indian Institute at Oxford in 1896 and also undertook three journeys to India in 1875, 1876 and 1883. His collection of Oriental Mss. and books numbering about 3000 was presented by him to the Institute. He died at Cannes in April 1899. Among the prominent Sanskrit texts and works edited and written by him are Kalidasa's Vikramorvasi, Sakuntala and The Story of Nala. Besides his famous Sanskrit-English Dictionary, English Sanskrit Grammar, A Sanskrit Manual, Indian Epic Poetry, An Easy Introduction to the Study of Hindustani, Practical Hindustani Grammar, Oriental Papers Illustrating the History of the Application of the Roman Alphabet to the Languages of India, The Study of Sanskrit in Relation to Missionary work in India, Indian Wisdom, Hinduism, Modern India and the Indians and Buddhism are some of his important publications.
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