Professor J. P. Minayeff (with Appendix)

Summary

This article presents a biographical sketch of the Russian Indologist Professor J.P. Minayeff, accompanied by an appendix listing his works. A prefatory note by the scholar Stcherbatsky introduces Minayeff as a pioneering figure in the field of Pali and Sanskrit studies. Born in 1841 in St Petersburg, Minayeff studied oriental languages under Vasily Vasiliev and specialised in Palifile:///home/oai/share/Professor_J_P_Minayeff_with_Appendix.pdf#:~:text=Protessor%20J.%209.%20Minayeff%20,between%20India%20and%20the%20Russian. He travelled extensively in India, visiting Calcutta, Benares, Bodh Gaya and Ceylon, and collected manuscripts and epigraphic material. Minayeff published critical editions and translations of Pali texts, including the Milindapanha and the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, which laid the foundation for modern Pali scholarship. He also wrote essays on the Buddhist councils and the history of Buddhist monasticism. The article emphasises that Minayeff’s work was recognised internationally; he corresponded with European and Indian scholars and donated manuscripts to libraries in Russia and Indiafile:///home/oai/share/Professor_J_P_Minayeff_with_Appendix.pdf#:~:text=country%20,part%20in%20the%20Oriental%20Faculty. In addition to his academic achievements, Minayeff played a diplomatic role, acting as Russian consul in Calcutta during part of his career. The appendix, compiled by his niece, lists his publications chronologically, including journal articles, monographs and reports. The author concludes by noting that Minayeff’s contributions significantly advanced the study of early Buddhism and inspired subsequent generations of scholars.