[Buddha-l] Rice & Dragons

[Dan Lusthaus]

> Dan, what is your reference for your al Biruni remarks (besides al 
> Biruni),
> especially the bit about his trying to prevent a big massacre of some 
> sort?
> Joanna

It is a generally known fact, which I've been aware of since grad school 
days, so probably first heard it from S.H. Nasr.

As it happens, the Wikipedia entry on "People of the Book" states:

--
Buddhism does not explicitly recognize a monotheistic God or the concept of 
prophethood. Muslims however had at one point accorded them the status of 
"people of the Book", and Al-Biruni wrote of Buddha as the prophet "burxan".
--

and attributes that to the Burzin archives.

See also
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_and_other_religions
and scroll down to the discussion on Biruni.
Dan