Asian Religions Quotes

“There is probably no way for Westerners to understand Asian religions from a purely traditional
Indian, Chinese, or Japanese perspective, but perhaps is there no need either to do so.”
― Bernard Faure, Chan Insights and Oversights

“Western attitudes toward Chinese and Japanese religions were formed largely from the descriptions given by Christian missionaries to those countries. Earlier accounts provided by travelers, such as Marco Polo, John of Montecorvino, Odoric of Pordenone, and others, were too vague and never mentioned the Buddhist sects as such (Demiéville 1964). So misleading, for instance, was Marco Polo's description of Cathay that it took some fifteen years for the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) to realize that this empire was none other than China.”
― Bernard Faure, Chan Insights and Oversights