
Relics, Ritual, and Representation in Buddhism
Rematerializing the Sri Lankan Theravada Tradition
Kevin Trainor(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 13. June 1997
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-0-521-58280-3 (ISBN)
Description
This book is a serious study of relic veneration among South Asian Buddhists. Drawing on textual sources and archaeological evidence from India and Sri Lanka, including material rarely examined in the West, it looks specifically at the practice of relic veneration in the Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist tradition. The author portrays relic veneration as a technology of remembrance and representation which makes present the Buddha of the past for living Buddhists. By analysing the abstract ideas, emotional orientation and ritual behaviour centred on the Buddha's material remains, he contributes to the 'rematerializing' of Buddhism which is currently under way among Western scholars. This book is an excellent introduction to Buddhist relics. It is well written and accessible and will be read by scholars and serious students of Buddhism and religious studies for years to come.
Reviews / Votes
"A carefully researched and theoretically engaged study.... A first-rate analysis that belongs in every academic library with significant holdings on Buddhism." John Clifford Holt, Religious Studies Review "...Trainor's study includes careful translations from the original P^D-ali and does a good job of researching a wide variety of selective sources." Nirmala Salgado, Journal of the American Oriental SocietyMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
546 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-58280-3 (9780521582803)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Content
Acknowledgments; List of abbreviations; 1. Orientations; 2. Buddhist relic veneration in India; 3. Relics and the establishment of the Buddhist sasana in Sri Lanka; 4. Paradigms of presence; 5. Ritual and the presence of the Buddha; Epilogue; Bibliography; Index.