Buddhist Monks and the Politics of Lanka's Civil War

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Publisher : Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies Monographs
ISBN 13 : 9781781795743
Total Pages : 294 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (957 download)

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Book Synopsis Buddhist Monks and the Politics of Lanka's Civil War by : Suren Raghavan

Download or read book Buddhist Monks and the Politics of Lanka's Civil War written by Suren Raghavan and published by Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies Monographs. This book was released on 2018-08-06 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The war in Sri Lanka was violent and costly in human and material terms. This was one of the longest wars in modern South Asia. Often referred to as an 'ethnic' conflict between the majority Sinhalas and the minority Tamils, the war had a profound religious dimension. The majority of Sinhala Buddhist monks (the Sangha) not only opposed any meaningful powersharing but latterly advocated an all-out military solution. Such a nexus between Buddhism and violence is paradoxical; nevertheless it has a historical continuity. In 2009 when the war ended amid serious questions of war crimes and crimes against humanity, monks defended the military and its Buddhist leadership. Taking the lives of three key Sangha activists as the modern framework of a Sinhala Buddhist worldview, this book examines the limitations of Western theories of peacebuilding and such solutions as federalism and multinationalism. It analyzes Sinhala Buddhist ethnoreligious nationalism and argues for the urgent need to engage Buddhist politics - in Lanka and elsewhere - with approaches and mechanisms that accommodate the Sangha as key actors in political reform. Sinhala Buddhism is often studied from a sociological or anthropological standpoint. This book fills a gap by examining the faith and practice of the Sinhala Sangha and their followers from a political science perspective.

Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology

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Publisher : East-West Center
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 112 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology by : Neil DeVotta

Download or read book Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology written by Neil DeVotta and published by East-West Center. This book was released on 2007 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study argues that political Buddhism and Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism have contributed to a nationalist ideology that has been used to expand and perpetuate Sinhalese Buddhist supremacy within a unitary Sri Lankan state; create laws, rules, and structures that institutionalize such supremacy; and attack those who disagree with this agenda as enemies of the state. The nationalist ideology is influenced by Sinhalese Buddhist mytho-history that was deployed by monks and politics in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries to assert that Sri Lanka is the designated sanctuary for Theravada Buddhism, belongs to Sinhalese Buddhists, and Tamils and others live there only due to Sinhalese Buddhist sufferance. This ideology has enabled majority superordination, minority subordination, and a separatist war waged by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The study suggests both LTTE terrorism and the ethnocentric nature of the Sri Lankan state, which resorts to its own forms of terrorism when fighting the civil war, need to be overcome if the island is to become a liberal democracy.The present government of President Mahinda Rajapakse is the first to fully embrace the Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology, suggesting that a political solution to Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict is unlikely. Meaningful devolution of power, whereby Tamils could coalesce with their ethnic counterparts amidst equality and self-respect, is not in the offing. A solution along federal lines is especially unlikely. Instead, continued war and even attacks on Christians and Muslims seem to be in store for Sri Lanka as the Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology is further consolidated. The study recommends that the international community adopt a more proactive stance in promoting a plural state and society in Sri Lanka. In addition to countering the terrorist methods employed by the LTTE, the international community should initiate and support measures to protect fundamental civil liberties and human rights of Sri Lanka's ethnic and religious minority communities.

Buddhism and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka

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Author :
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 0791493679
Total Pages : 163 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (914 download)

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Book Synopsis Buddhism and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka by : Patrick Grant

Download or read book Buddhism and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka written by Patrick Grant and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2009-01-05 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Patrick Grant explores the relationship between Buddhism and violent ethnic conflict in modern Sri Lanka using the concept of "regressive inversion." Regressive inversion occurs when universal teaching, such as that of the Buddha, is redeployed to supercharge passions associated with the kinds of group loyalty that the universal teaching itself intends to transcend. The book begins with an account of the main teachings of Theravada Buddhism and looks at how these inform, or fail to inform, modern interpreters. Grant considers the writings of three key figures—Anagarika Dharmapala, Walpola Rahula, and J. R. Jayewardene—who addressed Buddhism and politics in the years leading up to Sri Lanka's political independence from Britain, and subsequently, in postcolonial Sri Lanka. This book makes the Sri Lankan conflict accessible to readers interested in the modern global phenomenon of ethnic violence involving religion and also illuminates similar conflicts around the world.

Buddhism Betrayed?

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226789500
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis Buddhism Betrayed? by : Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah

Download or read book Buddhism Betrayed? written by Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1992-07-15 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume seeks to answer the question of how the Buddhist monks in today's Sri Lanka—given Buddhism's traditionally nonviolent philosophy—are able to participate in the fierce political violence of the Sinhalese against the Tamils.

Buddhist Extremists and Muslim Minorities

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190624388
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis Buddhist Extremists and Muslim Minorities by : John Clifford Holt

Download or read book Buddhist Extremists and Muslim Minorities written by John Clifford Holt and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the civil war in Sri Lanka between Sinhala Buddhists and Tamils ended in 2009, many Sri Lankans and foreign observers alike hoped to see the re-establishment of relatively harmonious religious and ethnic relations among the various communities in the country. Instead, a different type of violence erupted, this time aimed at the Muslim community. The essays in Buddhist Extremists and Muslim Minorities investigate the history and current state of Buddhist-Muslim relations in Sri Lanka, in an attempt to identify the causes of this newly emergent conflict. Euro-American readers unfamiliar with this story will be surprised to learn that it inverts common stereotypes of the two religious groups. In this context, certain groups of Buddhists, generally considered peace-oriented in the West, are engaged in victimizing Muslims, who are increasingly seen as militant. The authors examine the historical contexts and substantive reasons that gave rise to Buddhist nationalism and aggressive attacks on Muslim communities. The rise of Buddhist nationalism in general is analyzed and explained, while the specific role, methods, and character of the militant Bodu Bala Sena (Army of Buddhist Power) movement receive particular scrutiny. The motivations for attacks on Muslims may include deep-seated perceptions of economic disparity, but elements of religious culture (ritual and symbol) are also seen as catalysts for explosive acts of violence. This much-needed, timely commentary promises to shift the standard narrative on Muslims and religious violence.

Reaping The Whirlwind

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Publisher : Penguin UK
ISBN 13 : 9351184285
Total Pages : 392 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (511 download)

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Book Synopsis Reaping The Whirlwind by : K M de Silva

Download or read book Reaping The Whirlwind written by K M de Silva and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2000-10-14 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A critical analysis of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka In the eighties, Sri Lanka, once considered the ‘model’ colony, was torn apart by ethnic strife between the predominantly Buddhist Sinhalas, constituting almost threequarters of the island’s inhabitants, and the numerically fewer Tamils, who were a mix of Hindus, Christians and Muslims. Massacres occurred after the riots of May 1983, and over time about 1,25,000 Tamils entered India as refugees, fleeing from a virtual civil war which still afflicts the north of the island. The author, a renowned Sri Lankan analyst of global ethnic conflict, discusses the historical reasons behind the ethnic violence, especially the growth of the Sinhalas’ feeling of being a beleagured minority despite their numerical strength. Analysing the present conflict, he shows how the language policy of ‘Sinhala Only’, followed by the government in the sixties, supplanted religion as a divisive factor and how rivalry over educational and employment opportunities fuelled the schism. Bringing the story up to the present, de Silva examines the role played by Indian and Tamil Nadu politicians, and President Kumaratunga’s efforts towards a devolution of power to the Tamil Provinces. But given the LTTE’s acceptance of nothing less than Eelam, he sees little hope of an early end to the violence that has racked Sri Lanka for almost two decades now.

Economy, Culture, and Civil War in Sri Lanka

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Publisher : Indiana University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780253110268
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (12 download)

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Book Synopsis Economy, Culture, and Civil War in Sri Lanka by : Deborah Winslow

Download or read book Economy, Culture, and Civil War in Sri Lanka written by Deborah Winslow and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2004-09-02 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Will be of interest to those working on conflict and peace studies, economic development, cultural studies, and women in the modern world. A key new publication." -- Chandra R. de Silva, Old Dominion University "... offers a superb overview of how a civil war, driven by ethnicity, can engender a new culture and a new political economy... Highly recommended." -- Choice Economy, Culture, and Civil War in Sri Lanka provides a lucid and up-to-date interpretation of Sri Lankan society and its 20-year civil conflict. An interdisciplinary examination of the relationship between the economy, broadly defined, and the reproduction of violent conflict, this volume argues that the war is grounded not just in the goals and intentions of the opposing sides, but also in the everyday orientations, experiences, and material practices of all Sri Lankan people. The contributors explore changing political and policy contexts; the effect of long-term conflict on employment opportunities and life choices for rural and urban youth; life histories, memory, and narratives of violence; the "economics of enlisting" and individual decisions about involvement in the war; and nationalism and the moral debate triggered by women's employment in the international garment manufacturing industry. Contributors are Francesca Bremner, Michele Ruth Gamburd, Newton Gunasinghe, Siri T. Hettige, Caitrin Lynch, John M. Richardson, Jr., Amita Shastri, Deborah Winslow, and Michael D. Woost.

Sri Lankan Ethnic Crisis

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Publisher : Trafford Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1553697936
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (536 download)

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Book Synopsis Sri Lankan Ethnic Crisis by : R. B. Herath

Download or read book Sri Lankan Ethnic Crisis written by R. B. Herath and published by Trafford Publishing. This book was released on 2002 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a result of years of research on the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis. It gives a vivid description of the crisis, analyses the numerous factors that influence it, and explains a way to end it by democratic means. Sri Lankan Ethnic Crisis: Towards a Resolution is a unique book among those written on the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis for a number of reasons. It is the only book on the market that looks at the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis in a comprehensive manner. Every other book written on the subject focuses only on some selected aspects of the crisis. At the same time those written before do not help the reader understand the present intricacies of the crisis. A close look at all the books so far written on the subject reveals that Sri Lankan Ethnic Crisis: Towards a Resolution is the first book to: reach readers in both the academic and non-academic environments; help the reader fully understand the historic context of the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka; discover and discuss in a co-ordinated manner the hidden factors that influence the crisis; expose the disguise of the elite and dynastic-type post-colonial rule as democracy, and the unbuddhist influence of some Buddhist monks on the ethnic crisis; remind the British, the last colonial power of Sri Lanka, of their responsibility for the present predicament of the Sinhalese peasantry and "stateless" Indian Tamils; suggest a complete solution to the crisis with a new democratic model of governance, which is equally applicable in principle to other countries suffering from ethnic strife; and Outline a way to implement the solution in the present political climate. This is the first time a person outside social science academia and the journalistic world has written a book on the subject, giving the citizen's point of view on the ethnic crisis combined with a democratic solution. In his solution, the author suggests a new, bottom-up approach to the crisis, with the people at the centre of the decision making process, instead of the top-down approach that has so far failed. The Sri Lankan Ethnic Crisis: Towards a Resolution is a book of 85,000 words. It also includes a number of explanatory maps, tables, and charts. It is an easy-to-read, concise and up-to-date book that has the answers to the burning questions raised by those committed to finding a lasting solution to the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis. It is a book of interest to everyone everywhere interested in the phenomenon of identity politics, and in matters of democratic processes to ensure the civil, human and political rights of the entire citizenry. Sri Lankan Ethnic Crisis: Towards a Resolution has five chapters. The first chapter introduces the reader to the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis and the objectives and organisation of the book. The second chapter gives a historical background to the crisis. It takes the reader through three phases of Sri Lankan history: pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial. It is useful for the reader to know the historical background of the crisis to fully understand its present complexities. The third chapter identifies the root cause of the crisis and explains 10 main factors that have contributed to its escalation into a separatist war since independence in 1948. The fourth chapter stresses the importance of a new political beginning for Sri Lanka as a multiethnic independent nation, and explains eight basic factors that should constitute the foundation for such a new beginning. Then it discusses the varied governing systems developed in other democracies in the world, and proposes a new democratic governing model for Sri Lanka. The model addresses the ethnic issues in Sri Lanka and formulates a way to establish genuine democracy in the country, giving the power of self-determination to all its peoples. This chapter also explains how the country would be able to implement such a new mo

War, Denial and Nation-Building in Sri Lanka

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319563246
Total Pages : 378 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (195 download)

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Book Synopsis War, Denial and Nation-Building in Sri Lanka by : Rachel Seoighe

Download or read book War, Denial and Nation-Building in Sri Lanka written by Rachel Seoighe and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-12-05 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book begins from a critical account of the final months of the Sri Lankan civil war, tracing themes of nationalism, discourse and conflict memory through this period of immense violence and into its aftermath. Using these themes to explore state crime, atrocity and its denial and representation, Seoighe offers an analysis of how stories of conflict are authored and constructed. This book examines the political discourse of the former Rajapaksa government, highlighting how fluency in international discourses of counter-terrorism, humanitarianism and the ‘reconciliation’ expected of states transitioning from conflict can be used to conceal and deny state violence. Drawing on extensive interviews with activists, academics, politicians, state representatives and international agency staff, and three months of observation in Sri Lanka in 2012, Seoighe demonstrates how the Rajapaksa government re-narrativised violence through orchestrated techniques of denial and mass ritual discourse. It drew on and perpetuated a heightened majoritarian Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism which consolidated power under Sinhalese political elites, generated minority grievances and, in turn, sustained the repression and dispossession of the Tamil community of the Northeast. A detailed and evocative study, this book will be of special interest to scholars of conflict studies, political violence and critical criminology.

Buddhism, Politics and the Limits of Law

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107152232
Total Pages : 319 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (71 download)

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Book Synopsis Buddhism, Politics and the Limits of Law by : Benjamin Schonthal

Download or read book Buddhism, Politics and the Limits of Law written by Benjamin Schonthal and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-11-17 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examining Sri Lanka's religious and legal pasts, this is the first extended study of Buddhism and constitutional law.

Only Man is Vile

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Author :
Publisher : Trans-Atlantic Publications
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 424 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Only Man is Vile by : William McGowan

Download or read book Only Man is Vile written by William McGowan and published by Trans-Atlantic Publications. This book was released on 1992 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A journalist's account of his extensive travels in Sri Lanka and portrayal of the Sri Lankans who carry on in the midst of conflict and strife between warring factions of Sinhalese Buddhists and Tamils.

Sri Lanka

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Author :
Publisher : Lerner Publishing Group
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 104 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Sri Lanka by : Lawrence J. Zwier

Download or read book Sri Lanka written by Lawrence J. Zwier and published by Lerner Publishing Group. This book was released on 1998 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the ethnic conflict on Sri Lanka, including current issues.

This Divided Island

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Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 1466878746
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (668 download)

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Book Synopsis This Divided Island by : Samanth Subramanian

Download or read book This Divided Island written by Samanth Subramanian and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Samanth Subramanian has written about politics, culture, and history for the New York Times and the New Yorker. Now, Subramanian takes on a complex topic that touched millions of lives in This Divided Island. In the summer of 2009, the leader of the dreaded Tamil Tiger guerrillas was killed, bringing to an end the civil war in Sri Lanka. For nearly thirty years, the war's fingers had reached everywhere, leaving few places, and fewer people, untouched. What happens to the texture of life in a country that endures such bitter conflict? What happens to the country's soul? Subramanian gives us an extraordinary account of the Sri Lankan war and the lives it changed. Taking us to the ghosts of summers past, he tells the story of Sri Lanka today. Through travels and conversations, he examines how people reconcile themselves to violence, how the powerful become cruel, and how victory can be put to the task of reshaping memory and burying histories.

The Cage

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Publisher : Bellevue Literary Press
ISBN 13 : 193413757X
Total Pages : 602 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (341 download)

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Book Synopsis The Cage by : Gordon Weiss

Download or read book The Cage written by Gordon Weiss and published by Bellevue Literary Press. This book was released on 2012-09-04 with total page 602 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Cage is a tightly written and clear-eyed narrative about one of the most disturbing human dramas of recent years. . . . A riveting, cautionary tale about the consequences of unchecked political power in a country at war. A must-read." —Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker staff writer and author of The Fall of Baghdad In the closing days of the thirty-year Sri Lankan civil war, tens of thousands of civilians were killed, according to United Nations estimates, as government forces hemmed in the last remaining Tamil Tiger rebels on a tiny sand spit, dubbed "The Cage." Gordon Weiss, a journalist and UN spokesperson in Sri Lanka during the final years of the war, pulls back the curtain of government misinformation to tell the full story for the first time. Tracing the role of foreign influence as it converged with a history of radical Buddhism and ethnic conflict, The Cage is a harrowing portrait of an island paradise torn apart by war and the root causes and catastrophic consequences of a revolutionary uprising caught in the crossfire of international power jockeying. Gordon Weiss has lived in New York and worked in numerous conflict and natural disaster zones including the Congo, Uganda, Darfur, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Syria, and Haiti. Employed by the United Nations for over two decades, he continues to consult on war, extremism, peace building, and human rights.

Buddhist Fundamentalism and Minority Identities in Sri Lanka

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Author :
Publisher : SUNY Press
ISBN 13 : 9780791438336
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (383 download)

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Book Synopsis Buddhist Fundamentalism and Minority Identities in Sri Lanka by : Tessa J. Bartholomeusz

Download or read book Buddhist Fundamentalism and Minority Identities in Sri Lanka written by Tessa J. Bartholomeusz and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This examination of Sri Lanka's ethnic and religious minorities links the past with the present through a treatment of Sinhala-Buddhist fundamentalist development in the late nineteenth century and its hegemony in the late twentieth.

The Heritage of the Bhikkhu

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Author :
Publisher : Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN 13 : 0802198112
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (21 download)

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Book Synopsis The Heritage of the Bhikkhu by : Walpola Rahula

Download or read book The Heritage of the Bhikkhu written by Walpola Rahula and published by Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. This book was released on 2003-08-26 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A classic guide to the life of service and meditation practiced by Buddhist monks. Walpola Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught is a perennial backlist bestseller and has proven to be an indispensable guide to beginning Buddhism. It is renowned for its authoritative, clear, logical, and comprehensive approach. The Heritage of the Bhikkhu is a vivid account of the Buddhist’s monk’s role as a servant to people’s needs as a follower and teacher of the basic Buddhist principles. In this fascinating and informative volume, the author emphasizes Buddhism as a practical doctrine for daily living and spiritual perfection and not simply a monastic discipline. The Heritage of the Bhikkhu is a pioneering work that deserves to stand with the author’s earlier masterpiece.

The Seasons of Trouble

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Publisher : Verso Books
ISBN 13 : 1781688834
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (816 download)

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Book Synopsis The Seasons of Trouble by : Rohini Mohan

Download or read book The Seasons of Trouble written by Rohini Mohan and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2015-10-20 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For three decades, Sri Lanka’s civil war tore communities apart. In 2009, the Sri Lankan army finally defeated the separatist Tamil Tigers guerrillas in a fierce battle that swept up about 300,000 civilians and killed more than 40,000. More than a million had been displaced by the conflict, and the resilient among them still dared to hope. But the next five years changed everything. Rohini Mohan’s searing account of three lives caught up in the devastation looks beyond the heroism of wartime survival to reveal the creeping violence of the everyday. When city-bred Sarva is dragged off the streets by state forces, his middle-aged mother, Indra, searches for him through the labyrinthine Sri Lankan bureaucracy. Meanwhile, Mugil, a former child soldier, deserts the Tigers in the thick of war to protect her family. Having survived, they struggle to live as the Sri Lankan state continues to attack minority Tamils and Muslims, frittering away the era of peace. Sarva flees the country, losing his way – and almost his life – in a bid for asylum. Mugil stays, breaking out of the refugee camp to rebuild her family and an ordinary life in the village she left as a girl. But in her tumultuous world, desires, plans, and people can be snatched away in a moment. The Seasons of Trouble is a startling, brutal, yet beau­tifully written debut from a prize-winning journal­ist. It is a classic piece of reportage, five years in the making, and a trenchant, compassionate examina­tion of the corrosive effect of conflict on a people.