Dear Piya, Stephen, John, Ong Yong Peng, et al,



<All this is very interesting indeed. If you have references, these information would be even more valuable for follow up study. Sukhi [Pali: May you be happy!]Piya >



Thank you for your good wishes, Piya, and may you also have all happiness. For your files, here are briefly some sources. When I don't give the exact numbers, I haven't checked them yet myself!



-- Ctesias is physician and prisoner to the Persian court (c. 400 BCE). Wrote a history of Persia (excerpts in Photius).

-- Aristotle [b. 384 BCE], Magicus

-- Clearchus of Soli [ca. 350 BCE], On Sleep

-- Alexander the Great [326 BCE] conquers NW India

-- Pyrrho of Elis, founder of philosophical skepticism, accompanies Alexander the Great to India. [Bibl: Diogenes Laertius, "Pyrrho" from his "Lives"; Pyrrhonian Skepticism, ed. W. Sinnott-Armstrong, Oxford 2004; "Pyrrho and India" by E. Flintoff, in PHRONESIS, vol. XXV, no. 2 (1980) pp. 88-108]

-- Megasthenes, Indika (in à Strabo). Megasthenes was sent ca. 300 BCE to India as Ambassador from Seleucus I to Chandragupta Maurya. (see Almond p. 236)

-- Ashoka [III BCE] sends missionaries to the West (certainly including Alexandria)

-- Sotion [ca. 200 BCE], Succession of the Philosophers

-- Alexander Polyhistor [c. 100 BCE] (In Cl. Alex., Strom.3.60.2-4) Also dependant on Megasthenes?

-- Strabo [64 BC- 24 CE] (Geogr. 15:59-60) Cited by à Cl. Alex.(see Almond p. 236)

-- Zarmaros [31 BCE] Brahmin priest, immolates self in Athens. [Koester I/178]

-- Philo [10 BC-50 CE], Quod Omnis, 73-4; 92-7 re: Calanus.

-- Josephus [37 - 100 CE] (Apion 1:179) (War 7.8.7, re: Speech of Eleazar at Masada)

-- Apollonius of Tyana [I CE] (see Philostratus below)

-- Plutarch [46-119 CE], Alexander 65

-- Pantaenus, Clement's teacher at Alexandria, goes to India ca. 150 CE.]à Eusebius (Hist. 5:10)

-- Clement of Alexandria [175-225 CE], Strom. 1:71.5,6 (see Almond p. 236, 239)

-- Bardaisan (Bardesanes) [154-222 CE] cited by à Porphyry. Gives "first description in the West of Buddhist monasticism" (Almond 238).

-- Philostratus [170-245 CE], Life of Apollonius of Tyana (6:4-22).

-- Porphyry [234-305 CE], De Abstin. 4:17-18 (re: Bardesanes). Porphyry states that on one occasion at Edessa, Bardaisan [b. 154 CE] interviewed an Indian deputation which had been sent to the Roman emperor, and questioned them as to the nature of Indian religion. See discussion in Almond 238.

-- Diogenes Laertius [fl ca 250 CE], Lives 1:1-11



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Modern bibl:

P. C. Almond, "Buddism in the West: 300 BC- AD 400," in Journal of Religious History, vol 14 (1986-7), Sydney Univ. Press.

A. Dihle, Antike und Orient, 1984 (German)

H. Koester, History and Literature of Early Christianity, 2 vols. (1982)

E. Lengyel, Asoka the Great: India's Royal Missionary (1969)

D. Scott, "Ashokan missionary expansion," in RELIGION, vol XV (1985), pp. 131-141

Other authors: J. Andre; U.P. Arora; V. Begley; L. Casson; A. Dahlquist; J. D. Derret; S. Doshi; K. Karttunen; J.I. Miller; P. Curtin; H. Rawlinson; J. Thorley; J.W. Sellar; M. Wheeler.



Santi (peace) to all,

Rene


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