Theravada Traditions

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Theravada Traditions

Author : John Clifford Holt
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
ISBN 13 : 0824872452
Total Pages : 409 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (248 download)

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Book Synopsis Theravada Traditions by : John Clifford Holt

Download or read book Theravada Traditions written by John Clifford Holt and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2017-03-31 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theravada Traditions offers a unique comparative approach to understanding Buddhism: it examines popular rituals of central importance in the predominantly Theravada Buddhist cultures of Laos, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia. Instead of focusing on how religious ideas have impacted the ideals of government or ethical practice, author John Holt tries to ascertain how important changes, or shifts, in the trajectories of the political economies of societies have impacted the character of religious cultures. Each of the five chapters focuses on a particular rite and provides detailed historical, political, or social context: Holt shows how worship of the Phra Bang Buddha image in the annual pi mai or New Year’s rites in Luang Phrabang, Laos, has changed dramatically since the 1975 communist revolution and the subsequent opening up of the country to tourism; he describes how, in the face of insurrections and a prolonged civil war, the annual asala perahara processions in Kandy, Sri Lanka, have come to reflect a robust assertion of a Sinhala Buddhist nationalist identity; how ordination rites among Thai Buddhists reflect the manner in which Thai culture has been ever more “commodified” in the context of its dramatically developing economy; and how in tightly controlled Myanmar the kathina rite, the act of giving new robes to members of the sangha after the completion of the rain-retreat season, transformed into a season of campaigning for gift-giving and merit-making; finally, he demonstrates how, in light of the devastating losses inflicted by the Khmer Rouge, pchum ben, the annual rite of caring ritually for one’s deceased kin, became the most popular and perhaps most emotionally observed of all rites in the Khmer calendar year. In short, Theravada Traditions illustrates how popular, public ritual performance, far from being static, clearly indexes patterns of social and political change. Broad but deep, rigorous yet accessible, this rich, innovative volume provides a provocative introduction to the practice of Theravada Buddhism and the nature of social change in contemporary Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Esoteric Theravada

Author : Kate Crosby
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
ISBN 13 : 1611807948
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (118 download)

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Book Synopsis Esoteric Theravada by : Kate Crosby

Download or read book Esoteric Theravada written by Kate Crosby and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2020-12-22 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking exploration of a practice tradition that was nearly lost to history. Theravada Buddhism, often understood as the school that most carefully preserved the practices taught by the Buddha, has undergone tremendous change over time. Prior to Western colonialism in Asia—which brought Western and modernist intellectual concerns, such as the separation of science and religion, to bear on Buddhism—there existed a tradition of embodied, esoteric, and culturally regional Theravada meditation practices. This once-dominant traditional meditation system, known as borān kammatthāna, is related to—yet remarkably distinct from—Vipassana and other Buddhist and secular mindfulness practices that would become the hallmark of Theravada Buddhism in the twentieth century. Drawing on a quarter century of research, scholar Kate Crosby offers the first holistic discussion of borān kammatthāna, illuminating the historical events and cultural processes by which the practice has been marginalized in the modern era.

Theravada Buddhism

Author : Asanga Tilakaratne
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
ISBN 13 : 0824837290
Total Pages : 218 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (248 download)

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Book Synopsis Theravada Buddhism by : Asanga Tilakaratne

Download or read book Theravada Buddhism written by Asanga Tilakaratne and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2012-09-30 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings to life the age-old religious tradition of Theravada (literally, “view of the elders”) Buddhism as it is found in ancient texts and understood and practiced today in South and Southeast Asia. Following a brief introduction to the life of the historical Buddha and the beginning of his mission, the book examines the Triple Gem (the Buddha, his teachings, and the community of monastic followers) and the basic teachings of the Buddha in the earliest available Pali sources. Basic Buddhist concepts such as dependent co-origination, the four noble truths, the three trainings, and karma and its result are discussed in non-technical language, along with the Buddha’s message on social wellbeing. The author goes on to chronicle his own involvement as an observer-participant in “the Theravada world,” where he was born and raised. His is a rare first-hand account of living Theravada Buddhism not only in its traditional habitats, but also in the world at large at the dawn of the twenty-first century. He concludes with a discussion on what is happening to Theravada today across the globe, covering issues such as diaspora Buddhism, women’s Buddhism, and engaged Buddhism. The book’s accessible language and clear explication of Theravada doctrine and texts make this an ideal introduction for the student and general reader.

Theravada Buddhism

Author : Kate Crosby
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118323297
Total Pages : 467 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (183 download)

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Book Synopsis Theravada Buddhism by : Kate Crosby

Download or read book Theravada Buddhism written by Kate Crosby and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-09-16 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theravada Buddhism provides a comprehensive introductory overview of the history, teachings, and current practice of an often misunderstood form of one of the world’s oldest religious traditions. Explores Theravada Buddhism’s origins, evolution, teachings, and practices Considers the practice of Theravada beyond Sri Lanka and Thailand, by exploring a wealth of material from countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Vietnam Reveals its rich and varied traditions, and corrects common misunderstandings about links to other practices, such as early Buddhism or Hinayana Buddhism Incorporates student-friendly features including a glossary and other study aids

How Theravāda is Theravāda?

Author : Peter Skilling
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9786162150449
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (54 download)

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Book Synopsis How Theravāda is Theravāda? by : Peter Skilling

Download or read book How Theravāda is Theravāda? written by Peter Skilling and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on presentations at a panel in 2007.

Rebuilding Buddhism

Author : Sarah LeVine
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674040120
Total Pages : 406 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (41 download)

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Book Synopsis Rebuilding Buddhism by : Sarah LeVine

Download or read book Rebuilding Buddhism written by Sarah LeVine and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2007-09-30 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rebuilding Buddhism describes in evocative detail the experiences and achievements of Nepalis who have adopted Theravada Buddhism. This form of Buddhism was introduced into Nepal from Burma and Sri Lanka in the 1930s, and its adherents have struggled for recognition and acceptance ever since. With its focus on the austere figure of the monk and the biography of the historical Buddha, and more recently with its emphasis on individualizing meditation and on gender equality, Theravada Buddhism contrasts sharply with the highly ritualized Tantric Buddhism traditionally practiced in the Kathmandu Valley. Based on extensive fieldwork, interviews, and historical reconstruction, the book provides a rich portrait of the different ways of being a Nepali Buddhist over the past seventy years. At the same time it explores the impact of the Theravada movement and what its gradual success has meant for Buddhism, for society, and for men and women in Nepal.

Cambodian Buddhism

Author : Ian Harris
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
ISBN 13 : 0824861760
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (248 download)

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Book Synopsis Cambodian Buddhism by : Ian Harris

Download or read book Cambodian Buddhism written by Ian Harris and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2008-03-11 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of Cambodian religion has long been hampered by a lack of easily accessible scholarship. This impressive new work by Ian Harris thus fills a major gap and offers English-language scholars a booklength, up-to-date treatment of the religious aspects of Cambodian culture. Beginning with a coherent history of the presence of religion in the country from its inception to the present day, the book goes on to furnish insights into the distinctive nature of Cambodia's important yet overlooked manifestation of Theravada Buddhist tradition and to show how it reestablished itself following almost total annihilation during the Pol Pot period. Historical sections cover the dominant role of tantric Mahayana concepts and rituals under the last great king of Angkor, Jayavarman VII (1181–c. 1220); the rise of Theravada traditions after the collapse of the Angkorian civilization; the impact of foreign influences on the development of the nineteenth-century monastic order; and politicized Buddhism and the Buddhist contribution to an emerging sense of Khmer nationhood. The Buddhism practiced in Cambodia has much in common with parallel traditions in Thailand and Sri Lanka, yet there are also significant differences. The book concentrates on these and illustrates how a distinctly Cambodian Theravada developed by accommodating itself to premodern Khmer modes of thought. Following the overthrow of Prince Sihanouk in 1970, Cambodia slid rapidly into disorder and violence. Later chapters chart the elimination of institutional Buddhism under the Khmer Rouge and its gradual reemergence after Pol Pot, the restoration of the monastic order's prerevolutionary institutional forms, and the emergence of contemporary Buddhist groupings.

The Five Aggregates

Author : Mathieu Boisvert
Publisher : Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
ISBN 13 : 0889208786
Total Pages : 184 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (892 download)

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Book Synopsis The Five Aggregates by : Mathieu Boisvert

Download or read book The Five Aggregates written by Mathieu Boisvert and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If Buddhism denies a permanent self, how does it perceive identity? According to Buddhist texts, the entire universe, including the individual, is made up of different phenomena, which Buddhism classifies into different categories: what we conventionally call a “person” can be understood in terms of five aggregates, the sum of which must not be taken for a permanent entity, since beings are nothing but an amalgam of ever-changing phenomena. Although the aggregates are only a “convenient fiction,” the Buddha nevertheless made frequent use of the aggregate scheme when asked to explain the elements at work in the individual. In this study Mathieu Boisvert presents a detailed analysis of the five aggregates (pañcakkhandhā) and establishes how the Theravda tradition views their interaction. He clarifies the fundamentals of Buddhist psychology by providing a rigorous examination of the nature and interrelation of each of the aggregates and by establishing, for the first time, how the function of each of these aggregates chains beings to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth — the theory of dependent origination (paticcasamuppāda). Boisvert contends that without a thorough understanding of the five aggregates, we cannot grasp the liberation process at work within the individual, who is, after all, simply an amalgam of the five aggregates. The Five Aggregates represents an important and original contribution to Buddhist studies and will be of great interest to all scholars and students of Buddhism.

In the Buddha's Words

Author : Bodhi
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 0861714911
Total Pages : 512 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (617 download)

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Book Synopsis In the Buddha's Words by : Bodhi

Download or read book In the Buddha's Words written by Bodhi and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2005-07-28 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This landmark collection is the definitive introduction to the Buddha's teachings in his own words. The American scholar monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, whose voluminous translations have won widespread acclaim, here presents selected discourses of the Buddha from the Pali Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddha taught. Divided into ten thematic chapters, In the Buddha's Words reveals the full scope of the Buddha's discourses, from family life and marriage to renunciation and the path of insight. A concise informative introduction precedes each chapter, guiding the reader toward a deeper understanding of the texts that follow." "In the Buddha's Words allows even readers unacquainted with Buddhism to grasp the significance of the Buddha's contributions to our world heritage. Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent testimony to the breadth and intelligence of the Buddha's teachings, and point the way to an ancient yet ever vital path. Students and seekers alike will find this systematic presentation indispensable."--BOOK JACKET.

The Issue at Hand

Author : Gil Fronsdal
Publisher : Insight Meditation Center
ISBN 13 : 061516286X
Total Pages : 161 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (151 download)

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Book Synopsis The Issue at Hand by : Gil Fronsdal

Download or read book The Issue at Hand written by Gil Fronsdal and published by Insight Meditation Center. This book was released on 2008-02 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essays on Buddhist Mindfulness Practice. An inspiring and very accessible compilation of essays and edited talks on the Buddhist practice of mindfulness. As Gil Fronsdal states, "the search for the issue at hand is the search for what is closest at hand, for what is directly seen, heard, smelt, tasted, felt, and cognized in the present." Gil brings the practice of mindfulness not only to formal meditation but to all the varying aspects of every day life.

Modern Buddhist Conjunctures in Myanmar

Author : Juliane Schober
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
ISBN 13 : 0824860837
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (248 download)

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Book Synopsis Modern Buddhist Conjunctures in Myanmar by : Juliane Schober

Download or read book Modern Buddhist Conjunctures in Myanmar written by Juliane Schober and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2010-11-30 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For centuries, Burmese have looked to the authority of their religious tradition, Theravada Buddhism, to negotiate social and political hierarchies. Modern Buddhist Conjunctures in Myanmar examines those moments in the modern history of this Southeast Asian country when religion, culture, and politics converge to chart new directions. Arguing against Max Weber’s characterization of Buddhism as other-worldly and divorced from politics, this study shows that Buddhist practice necessitates public validation within an economy of merit in which moral action earns future rewards. The intervention of colonial modernity in traditional Burmese Buddhist worldviews has created conjunctures at which public concerns critical to the nation’s future are reinterpreted in light of a Buddhist paradigm of power. Author Juliane Schober begins by focusing on the public role of Buddhist practice and the ways in which precolonial Buddhist hegemonies were negotiated. Her discussion then traces the emergence of modern Buddhist communities through the colonial experience: the disruption of traditional paradigms of hegemony and governance, the introduction of new and secular venues to power, modern concerns like nationalism, education, the public place of religion, the power of the state, and Buddhist resistance to the center. The continuing discourse and cultural negotiation of these themes draw Buddhist communities into political arenas, either to legitimate political power or to resist it on moral grounds. The book concludes with an examination of the way in which Buddhist resistance in 2007, known in the West as the Saffron Revolution, was subjugated by military secularism and the transnational pressures of a global economy. A skillfully crafted work of scholarship, Modern Buddhist Conjunctures in Myanmar will be welcomed by students of Theravada Buddhism and Burma/Myanmar, readers of anthropology, history of religions, politics, and colonial studies of modern Southeast Asia, and scholars of religious and political practice in modern national contexts.

Mindfulness and Insight

Author : Mahasi Sayadaw
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1614295565
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (142 download)

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Book Synopsis Mindfulness and Insight by : Mahasi Sayadaw

Download or read book Mindfulness and Insight written by Mahasi Sayadaw and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-01-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A clear, simple meditation method on practicing mindfulness for insight, which takes us to our goal of liberation, the end of all suffering. Discarding any striving or ambition to attain something, the refined guidance that Mahasi Sayadaw provides in this book will lead practitioners to systematically and gradually purify their minds of attachment, aversion, and delusion and to realize the successive stages of enlightenment, culminating in the attainment of enlightenment (nibbana). Mindfulness and Insight is an excerpt of two key chapters from the comprehensive, authoritative Manual of Insight, which expounds the doctrinal and practical aspects of mindfulness (satipatthana) and the development of insight knowledge (vipassana) up to and including nibbana. In Manual of Insight, Mahasi Sayadaw acknowledged that these two chapters alone offer suitable guidance on our own journey of awakening by realizing path knowledge, fruition knowledge, and nibbana, particularly for those with little or no knowledge of the Pali scriptures. Part 1, “The Development of Mindfulness,” offers comprehensive instructions for developing mindfulness based on the Buddha’s teachings on the four foundations of mindfulness, as outlined in the highly regarded Discourse on Mindfulness (Satipatthana Sutta). Part 2, “Practical Instructions,” provides guidance in both the practices preliminary to undertaking insight meditation and in developing insight knowledge, ranging from initial practices to advanced levels of practice.

Routledge Handbook of Theravāda Buddhism

Author : Stephen C. Berkwitz
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 135102664X
Total Pages : 576 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (51 download)

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Book Synopsis Routledge Handbook of Theravāda Buddhism by : Stephen C. Berkwitz

Download or read book Routledge Handbook of Theravāda Buddhism written by Stephen C. Berkwitz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2022-03-16 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Among one of the older subfields in Buddhist Studies, the study of Theravāda Buddhism is undergoing a revival by contemporary scholars who are revising long-held conventional views of the tradition while undertaking new approaches and engaging new subject matter. The term Theravāda has been refined, and research has expanded beyond the analysis of canonical texts to examine contemporary cultural forms, social movements linked with meditation practices, material culture, and vernacular language texts. The Routledge Handbook of Theravāda Buddhism illustrates the growth and new directions of scholarship in the study of Theravāda Buddhism and is structured in four parts: Ideas/Ideals Practices/Persons Texts/Teachings Images/Imaginations Owing largely to the continued vitality of Theravāda Buddhist communities in countries like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, as well as in diaspora communities across the globe, traditions associated with what is commonly (and fairly recently) called Theravāda attract considerable attention from scholars and practitioners around the world. An in-depth guide to the distinctive features of Theravāda, the Handbook will be an invaluable resource for providing structure and guidance for scholars and students of Asian Religion, Buddhism and, in particular, Theravāda Buddhism. The introduction and chapter 20 of this book are available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Popularizing Buddhism

Author : Mahinda Deegalle
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 0791481026
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (914 download)

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Book Synopsis Popularizing Buddhism by : Mahinda Deegalle

Download or read book Popularizing Buddhism written by Mahinda Deegalle and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2007-06-01 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores the ritual practice of Buddhist preaching.

Transcending

Author : Kevin Manders
Publisher : North Atlantic Books
ISBN 13 : 1623174155
Total Pages : 297 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (231 download)

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Book Synopsis Transcending by : Kevin Manders

Download or read book Transcending written by Kevin Manders and published by North Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2019-10-22 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compelling collection of the many voices and experiences of trans, genderqueer, and nonbinary Buddhists Transcending brings together more than thirty contributors from both the Mahayana and Theravada traditions to present a vision for a truly inclusive trans Buddhist sangha in the twenty-first century. Shining a light on a new generation of Buddhist role models, this book gives voice to those who have long been marginalized within the Buddhist world and society at large. While trans, genderqueer, and nonbinary practitioners have experienced empowerment and healing through their commitment to the Buddha, dharma, and sangha, they also share their experiences of isolation, transphobia, and aggression. In this diverse collection we hear the firsthand accounts, thoughts, and reflections of trans Buddhists from a variety of different lineages in an open invitation for all Buddhists to bring the issue of gender identity into the sangha, into the discourse, and onto the cushion. Only by doing so can we develop insight into our circumstances and grasp our true, essential nature.

The Emergence of Buddhism

Author : Jacob N. Kinnard
Publisher : Fortress Press
ISBN 13 : 0800697480
Total Pages : 178 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis The Emergence of Buddhism by : Jacob N. Kinnard

Download or read book The Emergence of Buddhism written by Jacob N. Kinnard and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2010-10-01 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This brief survey tells the story of Buddhism as it unfolds through the narrative of the Brahmanical cosmology from which Buddhism emerged, the stories and myths surrounding the Buddha's birth, the Buddha's path to enlightenment, and the eventual spread of his teachings throughout India and the world. Jacob N. Kinnard helps readers understand complex concepts such as the natural law of cause and effect (Karma), the birth/life/death/rebirth cycle (samsara), the everchanging state of suffering (dukkha), and salvation or the absence of all states (Mivana). Several illustrations, together with biographical sketches and primary sources, help to illuminate the extraordinary richness of the Buddhist traditon. "At last, a textbook on Buddhism that integrates new and old methods for telling the story of Buddhism's development in India and its expansion into other parts of Asia; this book is a jewel. Kinnard's skill as an interpreter of material culture in the history of South Asian religions gives him insight into content students of Buddhism should know. Students will appreciate the towering personalities and dramatic choices of the men and women who shaped the story of buddhism in India and Other parts of Asia." Elizabeth Wilson Professor and Chair of comparative Religion Maimi University, Ohio "In an admirably succint fashion, Jacob Kinnard traces the development of Buddhism in India during the first fifteen hundred years of its history there. In so doing he sets the stage for the consideration of Buddhist traditions elsewhere, always attened to the Social, economic, political, and relious contexts in which this development occurred, the author pays particular attention to the lifestory of the buddha and to the evolution of his ongoing presence in his teachings, his relics, his images, and the pilgrimage sites associated with him. All of this is nicely complemented by brief teachings his relics, his images, and the pilgrimages sites associated with him. All of this is nicely complemented by brief biographics of prominent Buddhist historical figures and by a judicious selections of translations of pali and Sanskrit texts. Clearly and engagingly written, this classroom-friendly volume will also be of interest to scholars of religion. John Strong Charles A. Dana Professor of Asian Studies, Bates College Author of The Experience of Buddhism and The Buddha: A Beginner's Guide

Finding Freedom in Illness

Author : Peter Fernando
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
ISBN 13 : 1611802636
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (118 download)

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Book Synopsis Finding Freedom in Illness by : Peter Fernando

Download or read book Finding Freedom in Illness written by Peter Fernando and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2016-03-15 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Buddhist wisdom for finding freedom and insight through spiritual practice in the midst of illness and pain. "Let your illness be your spiritual teacher!" Make a statement like that to someone who's struggled for years with, say, rheumatoid arthritis, and be prepared for an eyeroll (at best). To Peter Fernando's credit, he makes that statement, and no such impulse arises. We believe him because he's been there himself and because he backs up the statements with his own real experiences and with real wisdom from the Buddhist teachings. Peter starts by defusing the pernicious belief that anyone is somehow responsible for their illness: You're not "wrong" for being sick. Then, having gotten past self-blame, one can begin to learn self-kindness. From there, one moves to mindfulness practices and cultivating body awareness--even if body awareness is distasteful when the body isn't behaving the way you like. Further topics include getting intimate with dark emotions (fear, despair, the scary future, frustration, grief, etc.), learning equanimity (rejoicing in the good fortune of those who don't share your suffering), cultivating healthy relationships in the midst of everything, and practical advice for living with pain. Each chapter comes with one or more practices or guided meditations for putting the teachings into practice.