Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on a Contested Buddhist Site: Bodh Gaya Jataka

ISBN-13: 9781138844728 / Angielski / Miękka / 2014 / 210 str.

David Geary; Matthew R. Sayers; Abhishek Singh Amar

Opis

Bodh Gaya in the North Indian state of Bihar has long been recognized as the place where the Buddha achieved enlightenment. This book brings together the recent work of twelve scholars from a variety of disciplines - anthropology, art history, history, and religion to highlight their various findings and perspectives on different facets of Bodh Gaya s past and present. Through an engaging and critical overview of the place of Buddha s enlightenment, the book discusses the dynamic and contested nature of this site, and looks at the tensions with the on-going efforts to define the place according to particular histories or identities. It addresses many aspects of Bodh Gaya, from speculation about why the Buddha chose to sit beneath a tree in Bodh Gaya, to the contemporary struggles over tourism development, education and non-government organizations, to bring to the foreground the site's longevity, reinvention and current complexity as a UNESCO World Heritage monument. The book is a useful contribution for students and scholars of Buddhism and South Asian Studies."

Spis treści

Introduction: The Multiple Lives of Bodh Gaya: Defining Views and Changing Perspectives  Part 1: Empowering the Landscape of the Buddha  1. Gaya-Bodh Gaya: The Origins of a Pilgrimage Complex  2. Sacred Bodh Gaya : The Buddhaksetra of Gotama Buddha  3. The Changing Landscape at Bodh Gaya  4. Bodh Gaya and the Issue of Originality in Art  Part 2: Monumental Conjectures: Rebirths and Retellings  5. Established Usage and Absolute Freedom of Religion at Bodh Gaya: 1861–1915  6. Queen Victoria Beneath the Bodhi Tree: Anagarika Dharmapala as Anti-Imperialist and Victorian  7. Bodh Gaya in the 1950s: Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahant Giri, and Anagarika Munindra C.  8. "Why Cause Unnecessary Confusion?": Re-inscribing the Mahabodhi Temple’s Holy Places  Part 3: Universal Dreams and Local Departures  9. World Heritage in the Shadow of Zamindari  10. Maitreya, or The Love of Buddhism: The Non-Event of a Bodh Gaya’s Giant Statue  11. Universal Education and Social Transformation in Bodh Gaya  12. NGOs, Corruption, and Reciprocity in the Land of Buddha’s Enlightenment