Buddhist Manuscript Cultures: Knowledge, Ritual, and Art

ISBN-13: 9780415776165 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 222 str.

Stephen C. Berkwitz;Juliane Schober;Claudia Brown

Opis

Buddhist Manuscript Cultures explores how religious and cultural practices in premodern Asia were shaped by literary and artistic traditions as well as by Buddhist material culture. This study of Buddhist texts focuses on the significance of their material forms rather than their doctrinal contents, and examines how and why they were made. Collectively, the book offers cross-cultural and comparative insights into the transmission of Buddhist knowledge and the use of texts and images as ritual objects in the artistic and aesthetic traditions of Buddhist cultures. Drawing on case studies from India, Gandhara, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mongolia, China and Nepal, the chapters included investigate the range of interests and values associated with producing and using written texts, and the roles manuscripts and images play in the transmission of Buddhist texts and in fostering devotion among Buddhist communities. Contributions are by reputed scholars in Buddhist Studies and represent diverse disciplinary approaches from religious studies, art history, anthropology, and history. This book will be of interest to scholars and students working in these fields.

This book explores how Buddhist material culture as well as literary and artistic traditions shaped religious and cultural practices in pre-modern Asia. Specifically, the chapters included investigate the roles manuscripts and images play in the transmission of Buddhist texts and in fostering devotion among Buddhist communities. Collectively, the book offers cross-cultural and comparative insights into the transmission of Buddhist knowledge and the use of texts and images as ritual objects in the artistic and aesthetic traditions of Buddhist cultures.

Contributions are by reputed scholars in Buddhist Studies and as a whole represent diverse disciplinary approaches from art history, religious studies, history and anthropology. The comparative focus of the book on the use of manuscripts and other forms of texts will make a distinctive contribution to the field of Buddhist Studies.

Recenzje

"Buddhist Manuscript Culture is a welcome addition to the expanding scholarly discourse on Buddhism and materiality. The editors, Stephen C. Berkwitz, Juliane Schober, and Claudia Brown, have done an admirable job of bringing together a diverse and nicely balanced set of perspectives on Buddhist texts." - Jacob N. Kinnard, Iliff School of Theology; The Journal of Asian Studies, Volume 69/3, August 2010

Spis treści

1. Introduction: Rethinking Buddhist Manuscript Cultures Stephen C. Berkwitz, Juliane Schober and Claudia Brown  Part 1: Ideologies  2. Why Did the Gandharan Buddhists Bury their Manuscripts? Richard Salomon  3. Materiality and Merit in Sri Lankan Buddhist Manuscripts Stephen C. Berkwitz  Part 2: Production  4. Redaction, Recitation, and Writing: Transmission of the Buddha's Teachings in India in the Early Period Peter Skilling  5. Diverse Aspects of the Mongolian Buddhist Manuscript Culture and Realms of Its Influence Vesna A. Wallace  6. From Words to Books: Indian Buddhist Manuscripts in the First Millennium CE Jens-Uwe Hartmann  Part 3: Curating  7. Between Zhongfeng Mingben and Zhao Mengfu: Chan Letters in their Manuscript Context Natasha Heller  8. Two Buddhist Librarians: The Proximate Mechanisms for Northern Thai Buddhist History Justin McDaniel  9. Emending Perfection. Prescript, Postscript and Practice in Newar Buddhist Manuscript Culture Christoph Emmrich  Part 4: Art and Architecture  10. Flowers for the Dhamma: Painted Buddhist Palm-leaf Manuscript Covers from Sri Lanka Bilinda Devage Nandadeva  11. From Text to Image: Copying as Buddhist Practice in Late Fourteenth-Century Sukhothai M.L. Pattaratorn Chirapravati