March
30
/ 2022
A bygone era forgotten in Western circles but preserved in the histories of Buddhist traditions tells the story of the Greek contribution to Buddhism. Enshrined in the daily prayers of the Theravāda followers of Sri Lanka is a vivid throwback to this long-lost chapter of Greek Buddhism: “I bow my head to the footprints of the silent saint (Buddha) which are spread on the sandy bank of the Narmada River, on the Mountain Saccabhadda, on the Mountain Sumana, and in the city of the Yonakas (Greeks).” Who were these mysterious practitioners of Greek Buddhism? How and why did they become venerated in a foreign religion? [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"95261","attributes":{"alt":"Buddha in Polonnaruwa temple in the medieval capital of Ceylon whose history the Mahavamsa describes
