That was Charles T. Strauss, a Jewish business person from Chicago. It took place on Sept. 26, 1893 in Chicago where Anagarika Dharmapala, a Buddhist monk from Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka), administered a Sanskrit oath to Charles T. Strauss formally converting him to Buddhism. That made Strauss the first non-Asian American to embrace the Buddhist path.
Rick Fields, who has studied the history of Buddhism in America, described Strauss’ background as follows: “…of 466 Broadway, a New York City businessman, born of Jewish parents, not yet 30 years old, long a student of comparative religion and philosophy.”
Rick Fields, who has studied the history of Buddhism in America, described Strauss’ background as follows: “…of 466 Broadway, a New York City businessman, born of Jewish parents, not yet 30 years old, long a student of comparative religion and philosophy.”
RSS Feed