The first Buddhist mission to the west

What is it about?

It's often been thought that the first Buddhist missions to the west were Japanese missions to California (1899 on) and Ananda Metteyya's 1908 London mission. This article pushes the history back a decade and uncovers the long-forgotten London Buddhist mission run by Capt Charles Pfoundes for the Buddhist Propagation Society from 1889 - 1892. The article explores the background and history of the mission, asks why it ultimately ended and identifies some possible connections to later attempts to bring Buddhism to the west.

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Why is it important?

Buddhism is now a familiar presence across all western societies, but the early history of Buddhist globalisation is still under-researched. Most traditional histories tell the story from the perspective of those organisations which have survived to the present, thus missing many of the important questions about why particular projects thrived or failed. The remarkable story of the Irish Japanologist Charles Pfoundes and his conflicts with leading Theosophist Annie Besant, in the public discussion halls of 19th century London, sheds unexpected light on the barriers to Buddhism in this period.

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