[Buddha-l] Rice & Dragons

[Dan Lusthaus]

A small beginning, for some of the scholarship on Buddhism in Central Asia, 
esp. Iran.

Encyclopaedia Iranica - online.
http://www.iranicaonline.org


http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/buddhism-index

Main entry, with links to sub-entries, on Buddhism:

BUDDHISM among Iranian peoples.
i. In pre-Islamic Times
ii. In Islamic Times
iii. Buddhist Literature in Khotanese and Tumshuqese
iv. Buddhist Sites in Afghanistan and Central Asia
--

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/baksi-a-buddhist-lama
(excerpt)

"The word baḵšī appears only later, in the writings of Rašīd-al-Dīn 
Fażl-Allāh and Waṣṣāf. The period covered by these authors, that of the 
il-khan Hülegü (Hūlāgū) and his successors, witnessed the brief emergence of 
Buddhism, for the last time, as a major religion in Iran; it was facilitated 
by the tolerant attitude of the Mongol rulers towards the representatives of 
all religious groups and sects, and by the fiscal exemptions granted to 
them."
--

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/chinese-turkestan-iii

Important turning point event with major implications for Buddhism in 
Central Asia, and Tibet.
--

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/india-iv-relations

In a very cautious piece ["The theory that regards two Parthian princes as 
among the earliest translators of Buddhist texts into Chinese and, 
accordingly, dates the penetration of Buddhism into Bactria to the first 
century B.C.E.–first century C.E. (Koshelenko, 1966) is now doubted 
(Staviskiĭ, 1998, p. 156), and the date of the introduction of Buddhism into 
Bactria remains problematic (Emmerick, 1990, p. 492)."], nonetheless: "The 
spread of Buddhism into southern Iran seems confirmed by some of the rock 
monuments located along the Persian Gulf southwest of Bušehr, which can be 
interpreted as monastic Buddhist settlements (Ball, 1986)." and so on.

The "doubt" by the way is whether An Shigao, the famous early translator was 
actually Parthian. Despite the caution, he probably was, as the 
encyclopaedia's own entry on him says: http://tinyurl.com/7njjdx9

Lots more in this entry. Rich in detail.
---

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/chinese-iranian-x

On idols (bot), viharas, Persians and Chinese.
---

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/argun-khan-fourth-il-khan-of-iran-r683-90-1284-91

(13th c Buddhism in Iran)

"But above all Arḡūn’s reign represents the heyday of Buddhism in Iran."

"Ironically, it was Arḡūn’s patronage of Buddhist monks from abroad that 
brought about his premature death. Under the influence of a yogi (baḵšī) 
from India Arḡūn began to take a life-prolonging drug concocted from sulphur 
and quicksilver and withdrew into virtual seclusion in Tabrīz, where he was 
accessible only to the baḵšīs, Saʿd-al-dawla, and a few others. The drug 
brought on an illness that grew chronic and was not dispelled by the 
execution of a number of the Il-khan’s wives and concubines upon suspicion 
of sorcery. After five months Arḡūn died at Bāḡča (Arrān) on 7 Rabīʿ I 
690/10 March 1291 and was buried on mount Sūǰās. He was the last Il-khan to 
receive a secret burial according to the Mongol custom (Nozhat al-qolūb, p. 
64)."
---

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/central-asia-iii

Central Asia, pre-Islamic times
---

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/conversion-ii

Buddhists are mentioned.
---

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/khotanese-literature

Detailed article.
--

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bamian-town-in-central-afghanistan

Bamiyan, its history, etc.
---

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/khotan-i-pre-islamic-history

Pre-Islamic Khotanese history
--

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/chinese-iranian-i

Chinese-Iranian relations, pre-Islamic.
---

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/india-ii-historical-geography

Historical geography of India, esp. re: Iran.
"The area of the Indian subcontinent west of the Indus, reflecting its 
frontier character, historically was governed more often by Iranian 
dynasties than by Indian ones. At the same time the eastern extent of the 
Iranian plateau was also deeply permeated by Indian cultural traits (as, 
e.g., in the westward expansion of Buddhism). Thus the cultural 
relationships between India and Iran must always be understood as an intense 
phenomenon of exchange and osmosis..."

"The interconnections of the Iranian plateau and the Indian world within 
this area is confirmed by a series of archeological evidences, ranging from 
fragments of the edicts of Aśoka, written in Greek and Aramaic (Pugliese 
Carratelli and Garbini, 1964), to the Buddhist complex located in ancient 
Kandahar dating to the third century C.E..."
---

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/thailand-iran-relations

"THAILAND-IRAN RELATIONS
Iran’s cultural and trade relations with Southeast Asia date back far into 
the pre-Islamic period. Official diplomatic relations between the two 
regions become traceable only during the Safavid period (1501-1722)."

And so on...

Dan