The Light of Asia: the poem that defined the Buddha by Jairam Ramesh 27th November 2021

The Light of Asia: the poem that defined the Buddha by Jairam Ramesh 27th November 2021
Online talk hosted by The Buddhist Sociey www.thebuddhistsociety.org
Introduced and chaired by Dr Desmond Biddulph CBE, President The Buddhist Society
with Puja and Reflection by Venerable Seelawimala, Head of the London Buddhist Vihara.

About the talk
To mark this year's Anniversary Day, Jairam Ramesh MP will joined us to present his latest book, The Light of Asia: The Poem that Defined The Buddha. He was welcomed and introduced by Dr. Desmond Biddulph CBE, President of the Buddhist Society, followed by a Puja and Reflection by Venerable Seelawimala of the London Buddhist Vihara. At the end of the talk, there was an opportunity for questions and answers.

The Light of Asia is an epic poem by Sir Edwin Arnold that was first published in 1879. It is a narrative of the life and message of the Buddha. It quickly became a huge sensation and has continued to resonate powerfully across the world over the last century and a half. The poem captivated an Indian monk who remains an iconic personality - Swami Vivekananda. At about the same time, it deeply moved a young man in Colombo who has become famous in history as Anagarika Dharmapala, founder of the Maha Bodhi Society in 1891, and of the London Buddhist Vihara in 1926. It caught the attention of an aspiring Indian lawyer in London in 1889. This man later became immortal as Mahatma Gandhi. A few years hence it impacted a teenager in Allahabad who would, in 1947, become the first Prime Minister of India - Jawaharlal Nehru. Two copies of the book adorned the bookshelves of B.R. Ambedkar, the prime architect of the Indian constitution.

Weaving together literary, cultural, political and social history, Jairam Ramesh uncovers and narrates the fascinating story of this deeply consequential and compelling poem that has shaped our thinking of an ancient sage and his teachings.

Jairam Ramesh brings into this unusual narrative the life of the multi-faceted poet himself who, among other things, was steeped in Sanskrit literature. Sir Edwin Arnold's English rendering of the Bhagavad Gita was one of Mahatma Gandhi's abiding favourites. Sir Edwin was also in many ways the man who shaped Bodh Gaya as we know it today.

A review will be availble in the forthcoming issue of The Middle Way.

Members can read the book in The Buddhist Society's Digital Library for free, or you can buy the book from your local bookseller or online.

About the Speaker
Jairam Ramesh MP (born 9 April 1954) is an Indian economist and politician belonging to Indian National Congress. He is a Member of Parliament representing Karnataka state in the Rajya Sabha. In July 2011, Jairam Ramesh was elevated to the Union Council of Ministers of India and appointed Minister of Rural Development and Minister (additional charge) of the new Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. He was previously the Indian Minister of State (Independent Charge) at the Ministry of Environment and Forests from May 2009 to July 2011. He is also the author of several well-known books including Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature and Intertwined Lives: P.N. Haksar and Indira Gandhi. His last book, A Chequered Brilliance: The Many Lives of V.K. Krishna Menon, won the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF (New India Foundation) Book Prize 2020.