Sakyamuni Buddha in Post-Revolutionary Mexico

The Legend of the Buddha in Vasconcelos’ Estudios indostánicos [Hindustani Studies] (1920)

Abstract

The intellectual encounter of the Spanish-speaking world with Buddhism has a relatively short history dating back to the late nineteenth century. The initial written works on Buddhism in Spanish-speaking countries focused almost exclusively on the legend of the Buddha. As a result, the early reception of the figure of the Buddha Sakyamuni in Latin American countries had a predominantly literary character. Within this emerging vein of Latin American Orientalism, the persona of the Mexican intellectual José Vasconcelos (1882–1959) stands out. In his seminal work Estudios indostánicos [Hindustani Studies] (1920), Vasconcelos portrays a multifaceted Buddha who embodies the roles of a literary figure, a preacher, and a teacher. Thus, Vasconcelos’ rendition of Buddha maintains its status as a literary construction, yet this aspect recedes in significance compared to the importance attributed to his teachings. For Vasconcelos, the Buddha’s teachings became another element to solidify his own post-revolutionary civilizing program.