Caroline Rhys Davids 1857 – 1942
Caroline Augusta Foley Rhys Davids
Writer, translator, lecturer.
27 September 1857 – 26 June 1942
Education
Home schooled.
Attended UCL studying philosophy, psychology, and economics (PPE).
1886 Completed her BA.
1889 Completed her MA in philosophy.
Awarded the John Stuart Mill Scholarship.
Awarded the Joseph Hume Scholarship.
Some Key Achievements and Interests
As a student, became a writer and campaigner for poverty relief, children’s rights and women’s welfare movements.
1884 Began to study Pāli.
1890 One of group of economists who formed the Economic Club at UCL.
1891 – 1895 On the staff of the Economic Journal.
Wrote articles and translated articles for the Economic Journal from the German, French and Italian.
1892 Published her first paper in Pāli literature, “Women Leaders of the Buddhist Reformation” at the Ninth International Congress of Orientalists.
Campaigner for women’s suffrage.
1907 Honorary Secretary of the Pāli Text Society.
1910-1913 Lectured in Indian philosophy at Victoria University of Manchester (today University of Manchester).
1918-1933 Lectured on the History of Buddhism at the School of Oriental Studies, London.
1919 Awarded an honorary D. Litt degree by the Victoria University of Manchester.
1922 – 1942 President of the Pāli Text Society.
Pioneered a use of language that still shapes how Westerners perceive Buddhism.
Investigated Buddhist psychology from an ethical, philosophically rational, perspective, engaging in substantive dialogue with Ledi Sayadaw and other monastic teachers.
Became increasingly involved with thoughts of the afterlife, spirit communications and telepathy, publishing on the subject.
Works include
19th century many articles in the Economic Journal
For work in 20th century see:Caroline Rhys Davids – Wikipedia eg:
Translated, or co-translated, five of the seven books of the Abhidhamma Pitaka, one of three large groups of texts in the Pāli Canon, as well as significant commentaries.
Known for her ‘monumental’ and ‘beautiful’ translation of the Therīgāthā, the stories of the earliest Buddhist bhikkhunīs, female monastics.
Further Reading
https://snaccooperative.org/view/53864895#resources-collapse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Rhys_Davids
https://web.archive.org/web/20110513234650/http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-PHIL/ew27114.htm
https://obo.genaud.net/backmatter/gallery/caf_rd.htm
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/economics/about-department/women-economics-and-ucl-late-19th-century