New Books Network Luke Gibson, "Reading Sanskrit: A Complete Step-By-Step Introduction with Texts from the Buddhist Tradition" (Columbia UP, 2025)
Nov 20, 2025
Luke Gibson, an author and Sanskrit teacher specializing in Buddhist literature, dives into his new textbook that revolutionizes how we learn Sanskrit. He shares insights from his bilingual upbringing and his journey through Buddhist studies. Gibson emphasizes the importance of using Buddhist texts to enrich Sanskrit education, tackling historical ties between Buddhism and the language. He discusses syntax-focused teaching methods, practical examples of common challenges, and how his book supports both self-learners and classrooms, offering engaging resources for mastering Sanskrit.
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Sanskrit Began Through Buddhist Studies
- Luke Gibson first encountered Sanskrit while studying Buddhism during a master's in Taiwan at Dharma Drum Buddhist College.
- He approached Sanskrit initially as a tool for Buddhist texts before expanding to broader South Asian literature.
Buddhist Role In Sanskrit Is Underrepresented
- Most Western Sanskrit textbooks foreground Hindu texts, distorting the full literary history.
- Gibson argues Buddhist Sanskrit played a major historical role and deserves equal pedagogical attention.
Buddhism Shaped Early Sanskrit Literature
- Buddhism initially favored vernaculars but later adopted Sanskrit, influencing its literary development.
- Early major Sanskrit belles-lettres, like Ashvaghosha's work, were Buddhist and shaped later authors such as Kalidasa.
