THE BUDDHA AND THE GODS

‘More worthy of our love than hate’, ‘Among the foremost of the great of old’: these are the sentiments that epitomize the Victorian view of the Buddha. Throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century, especially, the Buddha met with almost universal acclaim – not so much for his teaching as for his character. Esteem for the historic founder of Buddhism is clearly discernible in the epic poem of Richard Philips, The Story of Gautama Buddha, from which the above verses come. But such an attitude of veneration towards the Buddha was shared not only by sympathizers like Philips and of course Edwin Arnold but even, remarkably enough perhaps, by those who had least sympathy for Buddhist teachings. Barthélemy St Hilaire was the doyen of Buddhism's critics, a fact recognized by its supporters and opponents alike.