An ancient Buddhist inscription from eastern Afghanistan, roughly transliterated from Sanskrit into Greek.
The phrase: "Namo obodo, Namo oo, Namo oo," an expression of Buddhist devotion to the three jewels: Buddha, Dharma (teachings), and Sangha (community).
The script used: Greco-Bactrian (Hellenistic script based on Greek alphabet).
Example of cultural mingling facilitated by Alexander the Great, spreading Greek culture into Central Asia.
Cultural Exchange: Alexander the Great's Influence
Alexander spread Greek language, philosophy, and urban living across his empire from Greece to India.
Cultural synthesis termed Greco-Buddhism.
Historical Context
Greeks and Central Asians interacted as early as the 500s BCE (e.g., the Greek explorer Scylax for Persian ruler Darius I).
Alexander's conquests brought waves of Greek immigrants to Central Asia, founding cities like Alexandria on the Oxus.
Greek-style urban centers with theaters, gymnasiums, etc.
Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Kingdoms
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (200s BCE) formed in areas of what is now Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Indo-Greek Kingdoms (200s-100s BCE) formed by Greek descendants in regions now comprising Southern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and NW India.
Religious Exchange: Greek and Indian Philosophies
The Greek philosopher Pyrrho of Elis traveled with Alexander, possibly influenced by Indian/Buddhist thought, leading to his radical skepticism.
Pyrrho's philosophy resembles early Buddhist concepts, such as Shunyata (emptiness) and the Tetralemma.
Emperor Ashoka's Role
Emperor Ashoka (Maurya Dynasty) sponsored Buddhist missionary work, possibly reaching the Mediterranean during his reign (268-232 BCE).
Ashoka’s edicts show promotion of Buddhist ethics to a Greek audience, translating Dharma as Eusebeia (piety).
Indo-Greek Converts and Syncretism
King Menander (Milinda) known for his conversion to Buddhism; featured in Buddhist text "Milinda's Questions." Menander’s son Strato 1 issued coins labeling himself as a follower of the Dharma.
Greco-Buddhist Art
Artwork from Gandhara (NW Pakistan and NE Afghanistan) shows influence from Greek artistic methods, with real-to-life features and drapery resembling Greek sculptures.
Use of Greek motifs like Hercules and Tyche in Buddhist art.
Historians question whether this was syncretism or local artists imitating Roman art.
Summary
Greco-Buddhism highlights deliberate and selective cultural adaptation when different cultures meet (e.g., translating Ashoka's Dharma to Eusebeia).
Example: ancient Afghan inscription using Greco-Bactrian script to pronounce a Sanskrit mantra.