Hardback : £132.00
Buddhism is rich in fascinating practices and rituals. From well known rituals such as chanting sutras or painting mandalas to lesser known rites associated with death or stupa consecration, or derived from contact with other religions, this book offers students a unique understanding of the living tradition. It draws on eye witness reports of Buddhism on the ground, but also provides a reflective context within which the practices can be understood and appreciated. It covers religious and lay practices, art and festivals, regional and temporal variations, socio-political practices, and much else. Written by an authority on the topic, each chapter introduces a ritual or practice, describes it as the author has observed it and then goes on to discuss its context and significance. All entries include a list of further reading as well as photographs to help students deepen their understanding.
Buddhism is rich in fascinating practices and rituals. From well known rituals such as chanting sutras or painting mandalas to lesser known rites associated with death or stupa consecration, or derived from contact with other religions, this book offers students a unique understanding of the living tradition. It draws on eye witness reports of Buddhism on the ground, but also provides a reflective context within which the practices can be understood and appreciated. It covers religious and lay practices, art and festivals, regional and temporal variations, socio-political practices, and much else. Written by an authority on the topic, each chapter introduces a ritual or practice, describes it as the author has observed it and then goes on to discuss its context and significance. All entries include a list of further reading as well as photographs to help students deepen their understanding.
Introduction 1. Coronation at Kōyasan: How One Woman Became King and Learned About Homeland Security and National Health Care in Ancient Japan Pamela D. Winfield 2. Buddhism through the Lens: A Study of the Study of Buddhism through Film Lina Verchery 3. Voice and Gender in Vietnamese Buddhist Practice Alexander Soucy 4. Feasting for the Dead: Theravāda Buddhist Funerals Rita Langer 5. Buddha for Our Time: Images of a Sri Lankan Culture Hero John Clifford Holt 6. Shifting Signposts in Shikoku Pilgrimage John S. Harding 7. From Texts to People: Developing New Skills Mavis L. Fenn 8. Merit, Gender, and Theravāda Buddhist Practices in Times of Crisis Monica Lindberg Falk 9. Encounters with Jizō-san in an Aging Japan Jason A. Danely 10. Amitābha’s Birthday and Liberation of Life Paul Crowe 11. Preaching as Performance: Notes on a Secretive Shin Buddhist Sermon Clark Chilson 12. The Insides and Outsides of a Tibetan Buddhist Ritual on the Outskirts of Sujātā Village James B. Apple 13. Practicing the Study of Buddhism: Cross-Cultural Journeys and Renewed Humanism in the History of Religions William R. LaFleur
John S. Harding is Associate Professor and Chair of the Religious Studies Department at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. His books include Introduction to the Study of Religion with Hillary P. Rodrigues (2008) and Wild Geese: Buddhism in Canada with Victor Sogen Hori and Alexander Soucy (2010).
"This volume assembles interesting and colorful pictures of Buddhism as actually practiced by ordinary and ordained people alike. The first-person narratives by long-term specialists draw the reader into sites such as towns and villages, temples and pagodas, funeral grounds and pilgrimage treks. The informative accounts underscore the cultural diversity of Buddhist practices and the importance they hold for the practitioners." - Martin Baumann, University of Lucerne, Switzerland "This text stands out with its unique dual focus on Buddhist practices and on the practices of those who study Buddhism. Readers will learn much from the contributors' descriptions of an array of Buddhist rituals and frank reflections on the scholarly methods they have deployed in their fieldwork around the world." - Christopher Ives, Stonehill College, USA and author of Imperial-Way Zen
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