Research Catalog

Title

The Buddhist world of Southeast Asia / Donald K. Swearer.

Author

Swearer, Donald K., 1934-

Publication

Albany : State University of New York Press, ©2010.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xvi, 304 p. : ill.; 23 cm.

Summary

"An unparalleled portrait, Donald K. Swearer's The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia has been a key source for all those interested in the Theravada homelands since the work's publication in 1995. Expanded and updated, the second edition offers this wide-ranging account for readers at the beginning of the twenty-first century." "Swearer shows Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia to be a dynamic, complex system of thought and practice embedded in the cultures, societies, and histories of Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka. The work focuses on three distinct yet interrelated aspects of this milieu. The first is the popular tradition of life models personified in myths and legends, rites of passage, festival celebrations, and ritual occasions. The second deals with Buddhism and the state, illustrating how King Asoka serves as the paradigmatic Buddhist monarch, discussing the relationship of cosmology and kingship, and detailing the rise of charismatic Buddhist political leaders in the postcolonial period. The third is the modern transformation of Buddhism: the changing roles of monks and laity, modern reform movements, the role of women, and Buddhism in the West."--Jacket.

Series Statement

SUNY series in religious studies

Uniform Title

SUNY series in religious studies

Subject

• Buddhism > Social aspects > Southeast Asia
• Buddhism > Social aspects
• Buddhismus
• Gesellschaft
• Politik
• Buddhismus > Südostasien
• Buddhismus > Sozialgeschichte > Südostasien
• Buddhismus
• Therawada
• Religionsausübung
• Politik
• Southeast Asia
• Südostasien
• Sri Lanka

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

pt. 1. : The popular tradition. Ideal action ; Ritual occasions, merit, and the appropiation of power ; Festivals ; Rites of passage -- pt. 2. Buddhism and the State. Asoka, the exemplary Buddhist ruler ; kings and cosmology ; the Cosmological Scheme of the Three Worlds ; the Buddha as cosmocrator ; Modern nationalism and Buddhism -- pt. 3. Buddhism and Modernization. The changing role of the monk ; Reforming the Tradition ; the changing role of the laity ; Women and Buddhism ; Buddhism and the West -- postscript -- Appendix 1: Sigālaka Sutta : Code of lay ethics -- Appendix 2. Borobudur.

ISBN

• 9781438432519
• 1438432518
• 9781438432502
• 143843250X

LCCN

2009039613

OCLC

• ocn440283352
• 440283352
• SCSB-1549437

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library