Research Catalog

Hungry ghosts

Title
Hungry ghosts / Andy Rotman.
Author
Rotman, Andy, 1966-
Publication
Somerville : Wisdom Publications, 2021.

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Additional Authors
Bibliotheca (Firm), distributor.
Description
1 online resource
Summary
"The realm of hungry ghosts, or pretas, is one of the three unfortunate destinations for rebirth in the Buddhist cosmology of the cycle of existence. Those who end up there are said to have led lives consumed by greed and covetousness, and once there, they are often depicted with distended bellies and thin necks, searching for but never finding satisfaction. One of the earliest sources informing much of what we know about hungry ghosts are the ten stories about them compiled in the Avadānaśataka (the One Hundred Stories), which draws from the scriptures of the Mūlasarvastivādin sect that made their way to Tibet and beyond. These stories recount the bad thoughts and actions various hungry ghosts cultivated as humans in previous lives that led them to their current existence with its karmically customized miseries. The stories are an especially important record of early Buddhist thinking about hungry ghosts and about ethics. Depictions of the travails of hungry ghosts are found throughout the Buddhist world, and In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts reproduces many of the best examples of these. The volume also begins with a meditation on matsarya, a Sankrit word often translated as "miserliness" that figures prominently in these stories of the ravenous spirits. In the hands of Andy Rotman, we discover how its connotations of meanness and bad faith have profound resonances not only in the ancient texts but also in the malaise of today's world"--
Subject
  • Pretas (Buddhism)
  • Hell > Buddhism
  • Kar-ma-pa (Sect)
  • Good and evil > Buddhism
  • Sarvāstivādins > Tibet
Note
  • Electronic book.
Reproduction (note)
  • Electronic reproduction.
Contents
Preface -- Introduction: Mātsarya and the Malignancy of Meanness -- Hungry Ghosts through Images -- Technical Notes -- Translation: Avadānaśataka, Stories 41-50: 1. Sugar Mill: 41. Guḍaśālā -- 2. Food: 42. Bhaktam -- 3. Drinking Water: 43. Pānīyam -- 4. A Pot of Shit: 44. Varcaghaṭaḥ -- 5. Maudgalyāyana: 45. Maudgalyāyanaḥ -- 6. Uttara: 46. Uttaraḥ -- 7. Blind from Birth: 47. Jātyandhā -- 8. The Merchant: 48. Śreṣṭhī -- 9. Sons: 49. Putrāḥ -- 10. Jāmbāla: 50. Jāmbālaḥ -- Glossary -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author.
ISBN
9781614297352
OCLC
erc0000935431
Author
Rotman, Andy, 1966- author.
Title
Hungry ghosts / Andy Rotman.
Publisher
Somerville : Wisdom Publications, 2021.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
computer
Type of Carrier
online resource
Digital File Characteristics
text file
Reproduction
Electronic reproduction. [S.l.] Wisdom Publications 2021 Available via World Wide Web.
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Added Author
Bibliotheca (Firm), distributor.
Other Form:
Online version: Rotman, Andy, Hungry ghosts First edition. Somerville : Wisdom Publications, 2021. 9781614297352 (DLC) 2020046400
Branch Call Number
eNYPL BOOK
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