Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter

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.

Introduction Part 1: 1796-1830 1. Introduction 2. The Early British Visitors: Mapping the Ground Part 2: 1830-1870 1. Introduction 2. The Arrogance of Power: The Memoir Writers 3. Christian Exclusivism: The Protestant Missionaries and their Friends 4. Missionary Scholars: Daniel Gogerly and Robert Spence Hardy 5. Buddhism's Glorious Core: Turnour's Allies Part 3: 1870-1900 1. Introduction 2. The Buddha as Hero: Arnold's The Light of Asia 3. Buddhism as Nihilism: The Missionary Perspective 4. Romantic Other, Negative Spin: Constance Gordon Cumming 5. Buddhism as Life-Affirming: Contesting the Missionaries 6. Contrasting Scholars: Reginald Copleston and T.W. Rhys Davids 7. Balancing the Exoteric and the Esoteric: Theosophists in Sri Lanka 8. Convert to Compassion: Allan Bennett Part 4: Remodelling Buddhist Belief and Practice: The Dynamics of Protestant Buddhism 1. The British as Witnesses to the Tradition: Continuity and Ruption 2. The Roots of Buddhist Modernism 3. One tradition; Differing Voices 4. Threat to the Dhamma; a Dhamma Renewed Part 5: Discourses of Contempt: The Encounter between Buddhists and Christian Missionaries 1. Co-existence and Dual Belonging 2. World Views in Collision 3. Betrayal and Retaliation 4. The Twentieth Century Epilogue