MARK S. FERRARA, Journal of Chinese Philosophy Vo.24 1997
The similarities between William Blake’s philosophical
system and that of Buddhism (particularly the Ch’an(a) or Zen
School) are no less than astonishing. One is struck by a
fundamental similitude underlying the teaching of the Ch’an
school and that of Blake’s radical epistemology. Scholars are
aware that William Blake (1757-1827) knew the BhagavadGita in
its first English translation by Sir Charles Wilkins (1785).
Blake’s A Descriptive Catalogue of Pictures (1809) even has
an entry for a piece called “The Bramins-A Drawing.”
Moreover, Kathleen Raine suggests that Blake knew “some of
the Proceedings off the Calcutta Society of Bengal promoted
by Sir William Jones.”(1) Further, Blake believed fundamentally
All Religions are One (1788). He wrote, “As all men are alike
(tho, infinitely various) So all Religions & as all similars
have one source.”(2) It was also his opinion that”The
philosophy of the east taught the first principles of human
perception.”(3)
Although the above constitute enough evidence to suggest
Blake’s familiarity with the East (particularly Indian
thinking as found in the Vedic tradition) they do not fully
explain the strange parallelism of thought between the
English poet-painter’s mythic philosophy and that of
Mahayanna Buddhism. More…
Recommend: William Blake Virtual Gallery
Comments
lot of people are interested about Buddhism beliefs, tradition and leadership and keep asking what, where,when,how…
A wonderful, rich article. So much to learn from!
With kind thanks and cheers!