326 - No Buddhist Bible: A Brief Overview of 2500 Years' Worth of Buddhist Texts (1 of 2)

Dwight Goddard's 'The Buddhist Bible' (1932) is a Western-era compilation that gathered English translations of several dense Mahayana sutras to introduce Buddhist scripture to English readers. The book aimed to offer a single-volume resource during a period of growing Western interest in Buddhism, but its selection focused on four substantial Mahayana sutras that many beginners find dense and inaccessible. Although influential in early Western Buddhist circles, it has never been accepted as a definitive or authoritative 'Bible' by Buddhist traditions. The work is historically notable for making Mahayana texts available in English at an early date, even if its format and selections drew criticism from later readers. It is primarily of interest to those studying the history of Buddhism's reception in the West or seeking early English translations of Mahayana sutras.