The Jesuit presence in Tibet against the backdrop of the China mission: different approaches to Buddhism (16th–18th centuries)

Abstract

The missions the Jesuits established in Asia provided the first interpretations of Buddhism and the first reactions against it by Westerners. This article proposes to analyse Jesuit Ippolito Desideri’s (1684-1733) approach to Buddhismin his first writing in Tibetan, “The Sign of the Dawn that clears away Darkness” (Tho rangs mun sel nyi ma shar ba’i brda), in the light of previous views of Buddhism that prevailed in the missions in Asia, especially Matteo Ricci’s (1552-1610) in Ming China. Desideri’s unprecedented insight into Buddhist philosophy serves as a rich counterpoint to Ricci’s views of Buddhism, as the latter’s poor understanding of some of the main Buddhist doctrines – like those of emptiness and rebirth – went alongside harsh accusations against what Ricci regarded as an “idolatrous sect.”