Buddha (His Life, His Doctrine, His Order)

Translated from the German By William Hoey

This is translation of German work Buddha, Sein Leben, Seine Lehren sein gemeinde by Prof. Hermann Oldenberg. The original had attracted the attention of European scholars and the name of oldenberg is a sufficient guarantee of the value of its contents. The distinguished author has in this work demolished the skeptical theory of a solar Buddha put forward by M. Senart. He has sifted the legendary elements of Buddhist traditions and has given the reliable residuum of facts concerning Buddha’s life he has examined the original teaching of Buddha shown that the cardinal tenets of the pessimism which he preached are the truth of suffering and the truth of the deliverance are the truth of suffering and the truth of the deliverance from suffering he ahs expounded the ontology of Buddhism and placed the Nirvana in a true light. To do this he ahs gone to the roots of Buddhism in pre Buddhist Brahmanism and has given to indologists the original authorities for his views of Buddhist doctrines in excurses at the end of the work.

This book is a translation of a German work, Buddha, sein Leben, seine Lehre, sein Gemeinde, by Professor Hermann Oldenberg, of Berlin, editor of the "Pali Texts of the Vinaya Pitakam and the Dipavamsa." The original has attracted the attention of European scholars, and the name of Dr. Oldenberg is a sufficient guarantee of the value of its contents. A review of the original doctrines of Buddhism, coming from the pen of the eminent German scholar, the coadjutor of Mr. Rhys Davids in the translation of the Pali scriptures for Professor Max Miller’s "Sacred Books of the East," and the editor of many Pali texts, must be welcome as an addition to the aids which we possess to the study of Buddhism. Dr. Oldenberg has in the work now translated successfully demolished the skeptical theory of a solar Buddha, put forward by M. Senart. He has sifted the legendary elements of Buddhist tradition, and has given the reliable residuum of facts concerning Buddha’s life: he has examined the original teaching of Buddha, shown that the cardinal tenets of the pessimism which he preached are "the truth of suffering and the truth of the deliverance from suffering:" he has expounded the ontology of Buddhism and placed the Nirvana in a true light. To do this he has gone to the roots of Buddhism in pre-Buddhist Brahman-ism; and he has given Orientalists the original authorities for his views of Buddhist dogmatics in Excursus at the end of his work.

To thoughtful men who evince an interest in the comparative study of religious beliefs, Buddhism, as the highest effort of pure intellect to solve the problem of being is attractive. It is not less so to the metaphysician and sociologist who study the philosophy of the modern German pessimistic school and observe its social tendencies. To them Dr. Oldenberg’s work will be as valuable as it is to the Orientalist.

My aim in this translation has been to reproduce the thought of the original in clear English. If I have done this I have succeeded. Dr. Oldenderg has kindly perused my manuscript before going to press and in a few passages of the English I have made slight alterations additions or omissions as compared with the German original at his request.

I have to thank Dr. Rost the librarian of the Indian office at whose suggestion I undertook this work for his kindness and courtesy in facilitating some references which I found it necessary to make to the India office library.