BERGMANN, Benjamin Fürchtegott Balthasar von. Arrasch, Livonia (now Āraiši in Latvia) 17(28).11.1772 — Blussen b. Wenden (now Blusu near Cēsis, Latvia) 16(28).8.1856. German (Livonian) Priest and Traveller, a Pioneer of Lamaist Studies. Son of Gustav B. (1787 von B.; 1749–1814, priest and scholar) and Beata Meder. Educated at Domschule and…
BERG, Cornelis Christian. Rotterdam-West 18.12.1900 — Leiden 25.6.1990. Dutch South-East Asian Scholar. Professor in Leiden. After school in Schiedam from 1919 studies of Arabic, Sanskrit and Javanese at Leiden. Cand. 1922, Dr. 1925/27 (under Hazeu and Krom). After two years as teacher in Indonesia, from 1929 Professor of Javanese at…
BENVENISTE, Émile (born Ezra B.). Aleppo, Syria 25.2. or 27.4.1902 — Paris 3.10.1976. French Iranian scholar and Linguist. Professor in Paris, naturalized as Frenchman in 1924. Son of Mathieu (Mathatias) B., of a well known Sephardim family of Turkey (originally of Spain), and Marie Malkenson, both teachers. Educated privately, in…
BENNETT, Charles Henry Allan (Ananda Metteyya Thera). London 8.12.1872 — London 9.3.1923. British Bauddha. Son of an engineer, lost early his father, educated in Bath. Studied science (analytical chemistry). Became interested in Buddhism in 1890 after reading Arnold’s The Light of Asia. In 1898 arrived in Ceylon in order to…
BÉNISTI (Monié-Bénisti, née Sarfati), Mireille. Algier 10.10.1909 — 11.12. 1993. French Art Historian (Buddhist and Khmer Art). Born in Algeria came early to Paris. Suffered of ill health, but in November 1943 she joined the Comité Français de la Liberation Nationale in Algier, and worked after the war in Ministère…
BENDALL, Cecil. London 1.7.1856 — Liverpool 14.3.1906. British Indologist, a Specialist of Buddhist Mahāyāna Literature in Sanskrit. Professor in Cambridge. Son of London tradesman Robert Smith B. and Elizabeth Kay. Attended the City of London School, together with Stevenson (?) and Webster, learnt Sanskrit from Nicholl. In 1875 began study…
BELLONI-FILIPPI, Ferdinando. Buti near Pisa 7/17.7.1877 — Florence 24.1. 1960. Italian Indologist. Professor in Florence and Pisa. A student of Pullé and Formichi, graduated in 1901 at Pisa. From 1904 libera docenza in filologia sanscrita at Pisa, taught 1905-09. In 1909 further studies of German and Sanskrit (Jacobi) at Bonn.…
BECKH, Christoph Eugen Hermann. Nürnberg 4.5.1875 — Stuttgart 1.3.1937. German Indologist and Tibetan Scholar, later turned into Anthroposophist Priest. Son of a factory owner, Eugen B., and Marie Seiler, studied economy and law at the Maximilianeum of Munich until 1896 and worked as assessor, but was soon frustrated with law…
BEAL, Samuel. Devonport 27.11.1825 — Greens Norton, Northamptonshire 20.8.1889. British Priest, Sinologist and Buddhist Scholar. Although a priest, he was no missionary like most Sinologists of his time especially in the U.K. Son of the rev. William B. (d. 1872), a Wesleyan minister. Educated at Kingswood and Devonport schools and…
BAYNES, Herbert Morton Walker. Kensington, Middlesex / Bayswater, Westminster 2.2.1855 — Cumberland / Manly, both in NSW, Australia 1.9.1928. British Scholar of Indian Religions, a Theosophist. In peoplepill briefly called “British Civil Servant and Orientalist”, and werelate adds “Translator in the High Court in London. Was fluent in 22 languages”.…