The intellectual curiosity of John Adams
Eastern philosophy interested the founding fathers and they were likely kept informed of Raja Ram Mohan Roy's views
As the British colonial expansion project began to come to fruition, its intellectual class got access to treasure troves of philosophical works from the east, particularly Hindu and Buddhist scriptures. They began to translate these works and sure enough, these translations made their way to London and from there to the United States. Here, they found a willing reader in John Adams.
These translations, especially by men like Priestley were quite inaccurate. Many would argue that such errors by western translators persist to this day. 1
Adams’s curiosity was piqued by his reading of Priestley, but he found the translation disappointing. Moreover, he was frustrated that the vedas and shastras had not been translated yet.
You will perceive by these figures that I have been looking into Oriental History and Hindoo religion. I have read Voyages and travels and every thing I could collect, and the last is Priestleys “Comparison of the Institutions of Moses, with those of the Hindoos and other ancient Nations” a work of great labour, and not less haste. I thank him for the labour, and forgive, though I lament the hurry. You would be fatigued to read, and I, just recruiting a little from a longer confinement and indisposition than I have had for 30 years, have not Strength to write many observations. But I have been disappointed in the principal Points of my Curiosity.
1. I am disappointed, by finding that no just Comparison can be made, because the original Shasta, and the original Vedams are not obtained, or if obtained not yet translated into any European Language.
2. In not finding Such Morsells of the Sacred Books as have been translated and published, which are more honourable to the original Hindo Religion than any thing he has quoted.
3. In not finding a full devellopement of the History of the Doctrine of the Metempsichosis which orignated
4. In the History of the Rebellion of innumerable Hosts of Angells in Heaven against the Supream Being, who after Some Thousands of Years of War conquered them and hurled them down to the Region of total darkness, where they Suffered a part of the punishment of their Crime, and then were mercifully released from Prison permitted to ascend to Earth and migrate into all Sorts of Animals, reptiles, Birds Beasts and Men according to their Rank and Character and even into Vegetables and Minerals, there to Serve on probation. If they passed without reproach their Several gradations they were permitted to become Cows and Men. If as Men they behaved well, i.e to the Satisfaction of the Priests, they were restored to their original rank and Bliss in Heaven.
5. In not finding the Trinity of Pythagoras and Plato, their contempt of Matter, flesh and blood, their almost Adoration of Fire and Water, their Metempsicosis, and even the prohibition of Beans So evidently derived from India.
6. In not finding the Prophecy of Enoch deduced from India in which the fallen Angels make Such a figure.
But you are weary. Priestly has proved the Superiority of the Hebrews to the Hindoos as they Appear in the Gentoo Laws and Institutes of Menu: but the comparison remains to be made with the Shasta.2
Adams frustrations on the lack of access made its way into a letter to Alexander Bryan Johnson.
Quincy March 1st. 1823—
Dear Sir.
I like your philosophy very well, I will pursue an idea suggested in my last; I do sincerely wish that the Mandarins of China, the Bramins of Hindostan the Priests of Japan, and of Persia, could be influenced with the same zeal de propaganda fide as the Roman Catholics and Calvanists of this day are for propagating their Creeds, and ceremonies, I wish they would form into societies, open their purses, contribute their diamonds, pearls and precious Stons, as liberally as our people do their treasures, for translating their sacred books into English, French, Italian, Spanish, and German—
And send Missionaries to propagate them throughout all Europe and all America North & South. We might then know what the religions really are of the great part of the World. We know as little of them now, as we do of the religion of the Inhabitants of Sirius, the dog Star.
But sobrius, esto—Stop pause! Let us consider what would be the consequence; what would our Christian theologians, from the Pope, to Zinzindorf Sweedenborgh, Wesley, down to Mr. Maffit say, if these learned priests of all there vast Countries, if they were to appear here with their Brama and Veda and Zoroaster and Confucious, entering among their Parishioners and Congregations and zealously labouring to make converts among them—Do you think these reverend Gentlemen will be tolerant enough to permit them.? would they be contented to preach and write them down, or would they try to inflame the civil power to raise its arm of flesh and Strength to drive them out—But to descend from visions to realities Have you read Hallams Middle Ages, Simonds travels in Switzerland. Old England by a New England Man or Tudors James Otis? If you have not, I advise you to buy them all, for they are all books worth having, reading, and keeping—
I am yours kindly
John Adams—3
Adams’s view of Brahman were likely influenced by Advaita (probably due to the influence of Raja Ram Mohan Roy on western works). His optimism on the eventual progression of man to perfection were tempered by the appearance of Napoleon.
And I have no doubt that the horrors We have experienced for the last forty years, will ultimately terminate in the Advancement of civil and religious Liberty, and Ameliorations, in the condition of Mankind. For I am a Beleiver, in the probable improvability and Improvement the Ameliorabity and Amelioration in human Affaires: though I never could understand the Doctrine of the Perfectability of the human Mind. This has always appeared to me, like the Phylosophy or Theology of the Gentoos, vizt. “that a Brachman, by certain Studies for a certain time pursued, and by certain ceremonies a certain number of times repeated, becomes omniscient and Almighty.Our hopes however of Sudden tranquility ought not to be too Sanguine. Fanaticism and Superstition will Still be Selfish, Subtle, intriguing, and at times furious. Despotism will Still Struggle for domination; Monarchy will still study to rival nobility in popularity; Aristocracy will continue to envy all above it, and despize and oppress all below it; Democracy will envy all, contend with all, endeavour to pull down all; and when by chance it happens to get the Upper hand for a Short time, it will be revengefull bloody and cruel. These and other Elements of Fanaticism and Anarchy will yet for a long time continue a Fermentation, which will excite alarms and require Vigilance.
Napoleon is a Military Fanatic like Achilles, Alexander, Caeser, Mahomet, Zingis Kouli, Charles 12th etc. The Maxim and Principle of all of them was the same “Jura negat Sibi cata, nihil non arrogat Armis.”4
That is a very Advaita based reading. The founding fathers were appraised of Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s views. In a letter to Thomas Jefferson, Dutch radical Francis Adrian Van der Kemp wrote,
I received from England Belsham Portrait—a masterly engraving—and with it—a Letter of a Mabar Indian to the unitarian Society—who preaches that doctrine in India with Success—informing me, that the learned Brahmin whose only objection to Christianity is the doctrine of the Trinity, intends to make a visit to London—If So—I expect to hear its Success.5
Alas, we do not know if Jefferson ever received a follow up letter on Roy’s visit, even if the latter’s philosophical leanings were portrayed inaccurately. 6
It is quite evident that these were men of wide interests, especially in politics and philosophy. The times that they lived in were fascinating. Many discoveries were being made, that led to interest in the past as well as the future. These discoveries surely influenced their views on the American project, as it made them aware of a world that was broader than that of prior understanding.
Notes:
There are no angels in Hindu works. The term is probably a mistranslation of the word ‘deva’. The term occurs in Zoroasterianism. In Zoroasterianism, ironically, devas who end up becoming the despised divs in the (Persian) Shahnameh, and the devil in Europe.
This dialogue was recounted by Rodger Kamenetz in ‘The Jew and the lotus”. A discussion between Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and the Dalai Lama, the same mistranslation took place.
There is an interesting connection to Buddhist thought when one reaches the level of nearness, or atziluth. But before Zalman could explain it to the Dalai Lama, the conversation took a detour. It happened this way. As Zalman gestured toward the second world on the chart, yetzirah, he mentioned casually that devas inhabit that realm, "according to our tradition."
The Dalai Lama interrupted. "What do you mean when you say deva?" In attempting to translate from Jewish to Buddhist, Zalman had used the Sanskrit term for a Buddhist deity. Though Buddhists do not believe in a single Creator Deity, they do speak of gods and goddesses. Some devas were depicted on the thangkas we had seen in Tsuglakhang as guardians of the dharma. Others are regarded as actual gods and demons belonging to the six orders of sentient beings. Still another interpretation is that devas are symbols or mental projections.
Zalman retranslated. By devas, he meant angels.
That touched off something magical in the Dalai Lama. For the next half hour the cosmic view was lost in a close-up of angels, angels, angels.
Read the book.
Also, the laws of Manu that have made its way into the English speaking world have been from a single translation from an allegedly spurious source in Calcutta. There are many other laws that were/are of equal importance. More on that in a later post.
Europeans who had translated these texts were often Christian missionaries who lacked the language and the understanding to explore religions that were different from their own. Hence, they used terms such as sin, salvation and redemption which do not appear in the various philosophies of Hinduism and Buddhism. Aside, during the last few decades, Dr. Alexander Berzin (Harvard/Princeton/Fulbright etc) has spent a lifetime de-Christianizing Sanskrit and Pali texts. Berzin has tried to capture the essence of the original texts, given the etymology of these complicated languages. Berzin has access to the Dalai Lama and other Lamas as well as top Tibetan scholars, and so his Berzin archives are a valuable resource for students of Buddhism.
Letter from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, February 1814- March 1814, US national archives
Letter from John Adams to Alexander Bryan Johnson, March 1, 1823, US national archives
Jura negat Sibi cata, nihil non arrogat Armis - From Horace, “he denies that laws were made for him, and claims everything by force of arms.”
Letter from François Adriaan van der Kemp to Thomas Jefferson, December 10, 1818, US national archives