Buddhism in Indian Literature

by Narendra K. Dash

Buddhism has made immense contribution and influence to Indian life and thought, Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Buddha's teachings like his heart was all-expanding and all-embracing, so it has survived his body and swept across the face of the earth". That Buddha's words exercised a potent influence on the culture of India over the centuries cannot be denied and it is expected that the literatures in the major languages of India received inspiration in some way or the other from Buddha and his teachings in their literary and philosophical treatment. The present volume examines the relationship of Buddhism with a particular literature and see how it reacted to Buddhism and Buddhist principles in the different periods of its history. The book also explains how Buddha's words were received in the society by common people as reflected in the literary words and how it gave rise to particular band of writers, composers and thought-leaders in different languages. The volume is a collection of the twenty two research papers contributed by erudite scholars in different parts of the country. The papers were presented in the National Seminar held at Santiniketan and organised jointly by Indian institute of Advanced Study, Shimla and Vishwa- Bharati. This volume is bound to be an asset for those interested in the field of Buddhism.