Jinah Kim
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780520273863
- eISBN:
- 9780520954885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520273863.003.0007
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Asian Cultural Anthropology
This chapter examines the human agents behind the medieval Buddhist book cult-the donors, makers, and users of the illustrated manuscripts-based on a collective analysis of the colophons of ...
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This chapter examines the human agents behind the medieval Buddhist book cult-the donors, makers, and users of the illustrated manuscripts-based on a collective analysis of the colophons of thirty-six dated illustrated Buddhist manuscripts from India.The involvement of monastic donors, with the exception of monks from Tibet and elsewhere, is unexpectedly low, indicating that the Buddhist book cult remained a lay-based cultic practice, despite monastic production. The illustrated manuscripts prepared by nonmonastic ritual specialists during the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries demonstrate how lay Buddhists claimed and affirmed their Buddhist identity through participation in the Buddhist book cult, an age-old Mahāyāna practice, when Buddhist monastic institutions were falling apart.Less
This chapter examines the human agents behind the medieval Buddhist book cult-the donors, makers, and users of the illustrated manuscripts-based on a collective analysis of the colophons of thirty-six dated illustrated Buddhist manuscripts from India.The involvement of monastic donors, with the exception of monks from Tibet and elsewhere, is unexpectedly low, indicating that the Buddhist book cult remained a lay-based cultic practice, despite monastic production. The illustrated manuscripts prepared by nonmonastic ritual specialists during the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries demonstrate how lay Buddhists claimed and affirmed their Buddhist identity through participation in the Buddhist book cult, an age-old Mahāyāna practice, when Buddhist monastic institutions were falling apart.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824836023
- eISBN:
- 9780824869601
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824836023.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter discusses records of miraculous events that demonstrate the power of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, monks, and nuns. These events were thought to prove the efficacy of Buddhist devotional ...
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This chapter discusses records of miraculous events that demonstrate the power of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, monks, and nuns. These events were thought to prove the efficacy of Buddhist devotional practices; to illustrate the veracity of Buddhist claims; and to warn of the consequences of violating Buddhist norms. The texts clearly assumed an audience that was not only nonmonastic but also potentially skeptical of Buddhist teachings or relatively new to Buddhist norms. Also, they were not written in technical language for religious “insiders,” and the things of which they sought to persuade readers were a subset of basic Buddhist teachings, not finer points of doctrine or advanced aspects of practice. The remainder of the chapter studies Wang Yan's Records of Signs from the Unseen Realm. At 129 extant items plus a substantial preface, it is by far the largest miracle-tale collection to have survived from this era.Less
This chapter discusses records of miraculous events that demonstrate the power of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, monks, and nuns. These events were thought to prove the efficacy of Buddhist devotional practices; to illustrate the veracity of Buddhist claims; and to warn of the consequences of violating Buddhist norms. The texts clearly assumed an audience that was not only nonmonastic but also potentially skeptical of Buddhist teachings or relatively new to Buddhist norms. Also, they were not written in technical language for religious “insiders,” and the things of which they sought to persuade readers were a subset of basic Buddhist teachings, not finer points of doctrine or advanced aspects of practice. The remainder of the chapter studies Wang Yan's Records of Signs from the Unseen Realm. At 129 extant items plus a substantial preface, it is by far the largest miracle-tale collection to have survived from this era.
Ann Gleig
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780300215809
- eISBN:
- 9780300245042
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300215809.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The March 2016 cover of the Lion's Roar featured seven teachers of color and seven white teachers, seven females and seven males, gathered together under the title “The New Face of Buddhism.” Given ...
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The March 2016 cover of the Lion's Roar featured seven teachers of color and seven white teachers, seven females and seven males, gathered together under the title “The New Face of Buddhism.” Given that this edition represented a significant step forward in promoting diversity and advocating for the sociopolitical deployment of American Buddhist practice, it is not surprising that one of the first responses to it was a critique. More surprising, however, was that this critique was directed at the magazine's continuation of rather than challenge to Buddhist modernism. This chapter considers “insider” critiques of meditation-based Buddhism, an emphasis on collective forms of practice, and an illumination and interrogation of the sociocultural contexts of American Buddhist lineages. It focuses on the appearance of these sensibilities across communities with strong online platforms as well as the lively Buddhist blogosphere.Less
The March 2016 cover of the Lion's Roar featured seven teachers of color and seven white teachers, seven females and seven males, gathered together under the title “The New Face of Buddhism.” Given that this edition represented a significant step forward in promoting diversity and advocating for the sociopolitical deployment of American Buddhist practice, it is not surprising that one of the first responses to it was a critique. More surprising, however, was that this critique was directed at the magazine's continuation of rather than challenge to Buddhist modernism. This chapter considers “insider” critiques of meditation-based Buddhism, an emphasis on collective forms of practice, and an illumination and interrogation of the sociocultural contexts of American Buddhist lineages. It focuses on the appearance of these sensibilities across communities with strong online platforms as well as the lively Buddhist blogosphere.
Xiuping Gao and Chun Lan
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190636647
- eISBN:
- 9780190636678
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190636647.003.0010
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
This is a study of the metaphorical expressions in the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra from the perspective of cognitive linguistics, with a special emphasis on five concepts, SPACE, TIME, LIFE, ...
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This is a study of the metaphorical expressions in the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra from the perspective of cognitive linguistics, with a special emphasis on five concepts, SPACE, TIME, LIFE, BUDDHIST PRACTICE and EMPTINESS. It is found that the Buddhist SPACE is AN UNSUBSTANTIAL EMPTINESS, structured along ten directions and filled with an immeasurable number of dusts, which in turn constitute an immeasurable number of SHI-JIE (WORLD) on four different levels. The Buddhist TIME follows the root TIME-AS-SPACE metaphor. The Buddhist LIFE, constrained along both the temporal dimension and the spatial dimension, is A CYCLIC JOURNEY IN THE WHEEL OF SIX PATHS. BUDDHIST PRACTICE is A JOURNEY FROM REINCARNATION TO NIRVANA. These metaphors help construct a Buddhist world which is distinct from but also related to the mundane world that we all dwell in.Less
This is a study of the metaphorical expressions in the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra from the perspective of cognitive linguistics, with a special emphasis on five concepts, SPACE, TIME, LIFE, BUDDHIST PRACTICE and EMPTINESS. It is found that the Buddhist SPACE is AN UNSUBSTANTIAL EMPTINESS, structured along ten directions and filled with an immeasurable number of dusts, which in turn constitute an immeasurable number of SHI-JIE (WORLD) on four different levels. The Buddhist TIME follows the root TIME-AS-SPACE metaphor. The Buddhist LIFE, constrained along both the temporal dimension and the spatial dimension, is A CYCLIC JOURNEY IN THE WHEEL OF SIX PATHS. BUDDHIST PRACTICE is A JOURNEY FROM REINCARNATION TO NIRVANA. These metaphors help construct a Buddhist world which is distinct from but also related to the mundane world that we all dwell in.
Juliane Schober
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824833824
- eISBN:
- 9780824871635
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824833824.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
For centuries, Burmese have looked to the authority of their religious tradition, Theravada Buddhism, to negotiate social and political hierarchies. This book examines those moments in the modern ...
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For centuries, Burmese have looked to the authority of their religious tradition, Theravada Buddhism, to negotiate social and political hierarchies. This book examines those moments in the modern history of this Southeast Asian country when religion, culture, and politics converge to chart new directions. The book shows that Buddhist practice necessitates public validation within an economy of merit in which moral action earns future rewards. The intervention of colonial modernity in traditional Burmese Buddhist worldviews has created conjunctures at which public concerns critical to the nation's future are reinterpreted in light of a Buddhist paradigm of power. The book begins by focusing on the public role of Buddhist practice and the ways in which precolonial Buddhist hegemonies were negotiated. The discussion then traces the emergence of modern Buddhist communities through the colonial experience. The continuing discourse and cultural negotiation of these themes draw Buddhist communities into political arenas, either to legitimate political power or to resist it on moral grounds. The book concludes with an examination of the way in which Buddhist resistance in 2007, known in the West as the Saffron Revolution, was subjugated by military secularism and the transnational pressures of a global economy.Less
For centuries, Burmese have looked to the authority of their religious tradition, Theravada Buddhism, to negotiate social and political hierarchies. This book examines those moments in the modern history of this Southeast Asian country when religion, culture, and politics converge to chart new directions. The book shows that Buddhist practice necessitates public validation within an economy of merit in which moral action earns future rewards. The intervention of colonial modernity in traditional Burmese Buddhist worldviews has created conjunctures at which public concerns critical to the nation's future are reinterpreted in light of a Buddhist paradigm of power. The book begins by focusing on the public role of Buddhist practice and the ways in which precolonial Buddhist hegemonies were negotiated. The discussion then traces the emergence of modern Buddhist communities through the colonial experience. The continuing discourse and cultural negotiation of these themes draw Buddhist communities into political arenas, either to legitimate political power or to resist it on moral grounds. The book concludes with an examination of the way in which Buddhist resistance in 2007, known in the West as the Saffron Revolution, was subjugated by military secularism and the transnational pressures of a global economy.
Alexander Soucy
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824835989
- eISBN:
- 9780824871567
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824835989.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The most common description of the supernatural landscape in Vietnam makes a distinction between Buddhist and non-Buddhist “sides.” The “Buddha side” (ben phat) is the focus of this investigation ...
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The most common description of the supernatural landscape in Vietnam makes a distinction between Buddhist and non-Buddhist “sides.” The “Buddha side” (ben phat) is the focus of this investigation into the intersection of gender, power, and religious praxis. Employing an anthropological approach to Buddhist practice that takes into account modes of action that are not only socially constructed and contextual, but also negotiated by the actors, the book explores how gender and age affect understandings of what it means to be a Buddhist. The book examines everything from the skeptical statements of young men and devotional performances of young women to the pilgrimages of older women and performances of orthodoxy used by older men to assert their position within the pagoda space. From an in-depth view, the book describes the critical role of religion in shaping social contexts and inserting selves into them. Religion can thus be described as a form of theatre—one in which social identities (youth, old age, masculinity, femininity, authority) are constructed and displayed via religious practice.Less
The most common description of the supernatural landscape in Vietnam makes a distinction between Buddhist and non-Buddhist “sides.” The “Buddha side” (ben phat) is the focus of this investigation into the intersection of gender, power, and religious praxis. Employing an anthropological approach to Buddhist practice that takes into account modes of action that are not only socially constructed and contextual, but also negotiated by the actors, the book explores how gender and age affect understandings of what it means to be a Buddhist. The book examines everything from the skeptical statements of young men and devotional performances of young women to the pilgrimages of older women and performances of orthodoxy used by older men to assert their position within the pagoda space. From an in-depth view, the book describes the critical role of religion in shaping social contexts and inserting selves into them. Religion can thus be described as a form of theatre—one in which social identities (youth, old age, masculinity, femininity, authority) are constructed and displayed via religious practice.
Ian Harris
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824835613
- eISBN:
- 9780824871444
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824835613.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter focuses on the manner in which Buddhist practice was restricted and finally extinguished by the Khmer Rouge. At the local level, policies were implemented in one of two ways, either ...
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This chapter focuses on the manner in which Buddhist practice was restricted and finally extinguished by the Khmer Rouge. At the local level, policies were implemented in one of two ways, either dogmatically and with ill-considered fervor or in ways that still left scope for determined individuals, sometimes with the connivance of sympathetic officials, to maintain a minimal level of religiosity. In the case of a very limited number of courageous elderly monks and laypeople, living the life of a white-robed ascetic became an option, if only for a short period. A slightly larger group resolutely confronted their terrors and performed devotions in secret. But by far and away the largest proportion of previously active Buddhists rapidly and completely abandoned any semblance of the religious life.Less
This chapter focuses on the manner in which Buddhist practice was restricted and finally extinguished by the Khmer Rouge. At the local level, policies were implemented in one of two ways, either dogmatically and with ill-considered fervor or in ways that still left scope for determined individuals, sometimes with the connivance of sympathetic officials, to maintain a minimal level of religiosity. In the case of a very limited number of courageous elderly monks and laypeople, living the life of a white-robed ascetic became an option, if only for a short period. A slightly larger group resolutely confronted their terrors and performed devotions in secret. But by far and away the largest proportion of previously active Buddhists rapidly and completely abandoned any semblance of the religious life.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780520269460
- eISBN:
- 9780520952010
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520269460.003.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Asian Cultural Anthropology
This introductory chapter discusses the ambivalence towards the Dalai Lama's Dharamsala-based reforms—reforms that often aspire to liberal-democratic ideals. It considers the implications of these ...
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This introductory chapter discusses the ambivalence towards the Dalai Lama's Dharamsala-based reforms—reforms that often aspire to liberal-democratic ideals. It considers the implications of these reforms for Tibetan Buddhist education in India, especially in “debates” (rtsod pa), “public reprimand” (tshogs gtam), and disciplinary practices like corporal punishment. The discussion focuses on debate and discipline at Sera Monastery in Bylakuppe, a bastion of traditionalism populated by some 4,500 monks. It compares Sera with the self-consciously modernized Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama and epicenter of Tibetan Buddhist modernism in India. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.Less
This introductory chapter discusses the ambivalence towards the Dalai Lama's Dharamsala-based reforms—reforms that often aspire to liberal-democratic ideals. It considers the implications of these reforms for Tibetan Buddhist education in India, especially in “debates” (rtsod pa), “public reprimand” (tshogs gtam), and disciplinary practices like corporal punishment. The discussion focuses on debate and discipline at Sera Monastery in Bylakuppe, a bastion of traditionalism populated by some 4,500 monks. It compares Sera with the self-consciously modernized Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama and epicenter of Tibetan Buddhist modernism in India. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.
Anh Q. Tran
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190677602
- eISBN:
- 9780190677633
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190677602.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Chapter 4 deals with the afterlife and the cult of the dead, according to both Confucian and Vietnamese folk Buddhist practices. It begins with an overview of traditional Vietnamese anthropology and ...
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Chapter 4 deals with the afterlife and the cult of the dead, according to both Confucian and Vietnamese folk Buddhist practices. It begins with an overview of traditional Vietnamese anthropology and its influence on ancestral worship: outlining several characteristics that are the basis of ancestor worship, the discussion then turns to how the Confucian tradition linked rituals honoring the dead with filial piety, and to traditional conceptions of the soul and the afterlife in Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Then the chapter proceeds to a detailed description of the traditional funeral rites and ancestral veneration, including an account of practices surrounding the burial, as well as folk Buddhism and the afterlife. The chapter ends with a Christian evaluation of these practices.Less
Chapter 4 deals with the afterlife and the cult of the dead, according to both Confucian and Vietnamese folk Buddhist practices. It begins with an overview of traditional Vietnamese anthropology and its influence on ancestral worship: outlining several characteristics that are the basis of ancestor worship, the discussion then turns to how the Confucian tradition linked rituals honoring the dead with filial piety, and to traditional conceptions of the soul and the afterlife in Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Then the chapter proceeds to a detailed description of the traditional funeral rites and ancestral veneration, including an account of practices surrounding the burial, as well as folk Buddhism and the afterlife. The chapter ends with a Christian evaluation of these practices.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824836023
- eISBN:
- 9780824869601
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824836023.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
In early medieval China hundreds of Buddhist miracle texts were circulated, inaugurating a trend that would continue for centuries. Each tale recounted extraordinary events involving Chinese persons ...
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In early medieval China hundreds of Buddhist miracle texts were circulated, inaugurating a trend that would continue for centuries. Each tale recounted extraordinary events involving Chinese persons and places—events seen as verifying claims made in Buddhist scriptures, demonstrating the reality of karmic retribution, or confirming the efficacy of Buddhist devotional practices. This book presents the first complete, annotated translation, with in-depth commentary, of the largest extant collection of miracle tales from the early medieval period, Wang Yan's Records of Signs from the Unseen Realm, compiled around 490 C.E. In addition to the translation, the book provides a substantial study of the text and its author in their historical and religious settings. It shows how these lively tales helped integrate Buddhism into Chinese society at the same time that they served as platforms for religious contestation and persuasion. The book offers a methodological discussion of how such narratives, being products of social memory, may be read as valuable evidence for the history of religion and culture.Less
In early medieval China hundreds of Buddhist miracle texts were circulated, inaugurating a trend that would continue for centuries. Each tale recounted extraordinary events involving Chinese persons and places—events seen as verifying claims made in Buddhist scriptures, demonstrating the reality of karmic retribution, or confirming the efficacy of Buddhist devotional practices. This book presents the first complete, annotated translation, with in-depth commentary, of the largest extant collection of miracle tales from the early medieval period, Wang Yan's Records of Signs from the Unseen Realm, compiled around 490 C.E. In addition to the translation, the book provides a substantial study of the text and its author in their historical and religious settings. It shows how these lively tales helped integrate Buddhism into Chinese society at the same time that they served as platforms for religious contestation and persuasion. The book offers a methodological discussion of how such narratives, being products of social memory, may be read as valuable evidence for the history of religion and culture.
Geoff Ashton
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824847593
- eISBN:
- 9780824868215
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824847593.003.0046
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
This chapter focuses on the efficacy of Buddhist spiritual practices for Westerners attending a Buddhist meditation retreat in Southern Thailand. At the same time it shows how the introspective ...
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This chapter focuses on the efficacy of Buddhist spiritual practices for Westerners attending a Buddhist meditation retreat in Southern Thailand. At the same time it shows how the introspective self-study involved in Buddhist meditation enacts a form of ethnographic research. The retreat in question had initially limited the options for the author to conduct his research, as it was structured to quiet the mind and draw attention to the immediacy of the moment. Despite initial setbacks, however, it became possible to conduct research through direct observation and limited interviews. Moreover, the author was able to employ a methodology to which Buddhist mindfulness training is particularly amenable through its emphasis upon introspective awareness: self-analysis.Less
This chapter focuses on the efficacy of Buddhist spiritual practices for Westerners attending a Buddhist meditation retreat in Southern Thailand. At the same time it shows how the introspective self-study involved in Buddhist meditation enacts a form of ethnographic research. The retreat in question had initially limited the options for the author to conduct his research, as it was structured to quiet the mind and draw attention to the immediacy of the moment. Despite initial setbacks, however, it became possible to conduct research through direct observation and limited interviews. Moreover, the author was able to employ a methodology to which Buddhist mindfulness training is particularly amenable through its emphasis upon introspective awareness: self-analysis.
Justin McDaniel
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231153775
- eISBN:
- 9780231527545
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231153775.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Stories centering on the lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak) and the magical monk (Somdet To) are central to Thai Buddhism. Historically important and emotionally resonant, these characters appeal to every ...
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Stories centering on the lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak) and the magical monk (Somdet To) are central to Thai Buddhism. Historically important and emotionally resonant, these characters appeal to every class of follower. Metaphorically and rhetorically powerful, they invite constant reimagining across time. Focusing on representations of the ghost and monk from the late eighteenth century to the present, the book builds a case for interpreting modern Thai Buddhist practice through the movements of these transformative figures. It follows embodiments of the ghost and monk in a variety of genres and media, including biography, film, television, drama, ritual, art, liturgy, and the Internet. Sourcing nuns, monks, laypeople, and royalty, he shows how relations with these figures have been instrumental in crafting histories and modernities. Establishing an individual’s “religious repertoire” as a valid category of study, the book explores the performance of Buddhist thought and ritual through practices of magic, prognostication, image production, sacred protection, and deity and ghost worship, and clarifies the meaning of multiple cultural configurations. The book suggests that concepts of attachment, love, wealth, beauty, entertainment, graciousness, security, and nationalism all spring from engagement with the ghost and the monk and are as vital to the making of Thai Buddhism as venerating the Buddha himself.Less
Stories centering on the lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak) and the magical monk (Somdet To) are central to Thai Buddhism. Historically important and emotionally resonant, these characters appeal to every class of follower. Metaphorically and rhetorically powerful, they invite constant reimagining across time. Focusing on representations of the ghost and monk from the late eighteenth century to the present, the book builds a case for interpreting modern Thai Buddhist practice through the movements of these transformative figures. It follows embodiments of the ghost and monk in a variety of genres and media, including biography, film, television, drama, ritual, art, liturgy, and the Internet. Sourcing nuns, monks, laypeople, and royalty, he shows how relations with these figures have been instrumental in crafting histories and modernities. Establishing an individual’s “religious repertoire” as a valid category of study, the book explores the performance of Buddhist thought and ritual through practices of magic, prognostication, image production, sacred protection, and deity and ghost worship, and clarifies the meaning of multiple cultural configurations. The book suggests that concepts of attachment, love, wealth, beauty, entertainment, graciousness, security, and nationalism all spring from engagement with the ghost and the monk and are as vital to the making of Thai Buddhism as venerating the Buddha himself.
Justin Thomas McDaniel
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231153775
- eISBN:
- 9780231527545
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231153775.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter concludes that the magical, commercial, curative, protective, prognosticative, aesthetic, and preservative practices of current Thai Buddhists are neither the products of an anarchic ...
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This chapter concludes that the magical, commercial, curative, protective, prognosticative, aesthetic, and preservative practices of current Thai Buddhists are neither the products of an anarchic society nor the expressions of the futile aspirations of those ignorant of more refined canonical values. The origin of these practices can be best explained through the notion of repertoire—a constantly shifting collection of gestures, objects, texts, plots, tropes, ethical maxims, precepts, ritual movements, and expectations that any individual agent employs and draws upon when acting and explaining action—focusing on individual agents and the relationships that are formed between them, and examining closely at their religious products (texts, rituals, liturgies, art) in highly specific contexts.Less
This chapter concludes that the magical, commercial, curative, protective, prognosticative, aesthetic, and preservative practices of current Thai Buddhists are neither the products of an anarchic society nor the expressions of the futile aspirations of those ignorant of more refined canonical values. The origin of these practices can be best explained through the notion of repertoire—a constantly shifting collection of gestures, objects, texts, plots, tropes, ethical maxims, precepts, ritual movements, and expectations that any individual agent employs and draws upon when acting and explaining action—focusing on individual agents and the relationships that are formed between them, and examining closely at their religious products (texts, rituals, liturgies, art) in highly specific contexts.
Andrew Quintman
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231164153
- eISBN:
- 9780231535533
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231164153.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Tibetan biographers began writing Jetsun Milarepa's (1052–1135) life story shortly after his death, initiating a literary tradition that turned the poet and saint into a model of virtuosic Buddhist ...
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Tibetan biographers began writing Jetsun Milarepa's (1052–1135) life story shortly after his death, initiating a literary tradition that turned the poet and saint into a model of virtuosic Buddhist practice throughout the Himalayan world. This book traces this history and its innovations in narrative and aesthetic representation across four centuries, culminating in a detailed analysis of the genre's most famous example, composed in 1488 by Tsangnyön Heruka, or the “Madman of Western Tibet.” The book imagines these works as a kind of physical body supplanting the yogin's corporeal relics.Less
Tibetan biographers began writing Jetsun Milarepa's (1052–1135) life story shortly after his death, initiating a literary tradition that turned the poet and saint into a model of virtuosic Buddhist practice throughout the Himalayan world. This book traces this history and its innovations in narrative and aesthetic representation across four centuries, culminating in a detailed analysis of the genre's most famous example, composed in 1488 by Tsangnyön Heruka, or the “Madman of Western Tibet.” The book imagines these works as a kind of physical body supplanting the yogin's corporeal relics.
