ABSTRACT
SAADIA (892-942): Believing that Judaism is compatible with all truth, whatever its source, Saadia ben Joseph al-Fayyumi attempted to reconcile Judaism with Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Manicheanism, and Greek philosophy. Born at Dilaz, Egypt, he studied Arabic, Biblical, and Talmudic literature. He went to Palestine and Babylonia, where he became Gaon or director of the college at Sura. His field of knowledge included mathematics and philosophy. His Book of Philosophical Doctrines and Beliefs (Kitah al-Amanat) has been called the most significant work of medieval Jewish thought before Maimonides. Saadi accepts truth validated by revelation, tradition, and reason. SAICHŌ (767-822): Of Chinese descent, Saichō (Dengyō Daishi) was the founder of the Tendai (T’ien-t’ai) sect of Buddhism in Japan. The little temple he built on the side of Mt. Hiei, near Kyoto, became the center of education and culture for the nation until it was burned in 1571. The goal of the good life, Saichō taught, is, as the Hokke Sūtra declares, to become a living Buddha in a human body, sokushin jōbutsu. SAKYA PANCHEN (1182-1251): The “great scholar” known for having bested the heretics in theological debates in India, Kunga Gyaltsen (called Sakya Pandita or Panchen because of his knowledge of Sanskrit) was summoned in 1244 to Kokonor where Prince Godan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, had his camp. They made it by 1247. Sakya Panchen instructed the Prince in the teachings of the Buddha and persuaded him to refrain from throwing large numbers of Chinese into the nearby river. The Prince had nothing personal against the Chinese, but evidently felt it was an acceptable method of population control. When Sakya Panchen convinced Godan that it was against Buddhist doctrine, the practice was stopped.
