Haunting The Buddha

Author : Robert DeCaroli
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2004-09-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780190290658

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Haunting the Buddha by Robert DeCaroli Pdf

Early European histories of India frequently reflected colonialist agendas. The idea that Indian society had declined from an earlier Golden Age helped justify the colonial presence. It was said, for example, that modern Buddhism had fallen away from its original identity as a purely rational philosophy that arose in the mythical 5th-century BCE Golden Age unsullied by the religious and cultural practices that surrounded it. In this book Robert DeCaroli seeks to place the formation of Buddhism in its appropriate social and political contexts. It is necessary, he says, to acknowledge that the monks and nuns who embodied early Buddhist ideals shared many beliefs held by the communities in which they were raised. In becoming members of the monastic society these individuals did not abandon their beliefs in the efficacy and the dangers represented by minor deities and spirits of the dead. Their new faith, however, gave them revolutionary new mechanisms with which to engage those supernatural beings. Drawing on fieldwork, textual, and iconographic evidence, DeCaroli offers a comprehensive view of early Indian spirit-religions and their contributions to Buddhism-the first attempt at such a study since Ananda Coomaraswamy's pioneering work was published in 1928. The result is an important contribution to our understanding of early Indian religion and society, and will be of interest to those in the fields of Buddhist studies, Asian history, art history, and anthropology.

Author : Robert DeCaroli
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 230 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2024-06-29
Category : Art and mythology
ISBN : OCLC:1090136046

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Haunting the Buddha by Robert DeCaroli Pdf

Author : Justin Thomas McDaniel
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 362 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2013-12-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780231153775

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The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk by Justin Thomas McDaniel Pdf

Focusing on representations of a famous ghost and monk from the late eighteenth century to today, Justin Thomas McDaniel builds a case for interpreting modern Thai Buddhist practice through the movements of these transformative figures. He follows embodiments of the ghost and monk in a variety of genres and media, including biography, drama, ritual, art, liturgy, film, television, and the Internet. Sourcing nuns, monks, laypeople, and royalty, McDaniel shows how relations with these figures have been instrumental in crafting histories and modernities, particularly local conceptions of being "Buddhist," and the formation and transmission of such identities across different venues and technologies.

Author : Kevin Trainor,Paula Arai
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 689 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2022
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780190632922

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The Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Practice by Kevin Trainor,Paula Arai Pdf

"This Handbook provides a state-of-the-art exploration of several key dynamics in current studies of the Buddhist tradition with a focus on practice. Embodiment, materiality, emotion, and gender shape the way most Buddhists engage with their traditions, in contrast to popular representations of Buddhism as spiritual, disembodied, and largely devoid of ritual. This volume highlights how practice often represents a fluid, dynamic, and strategic means of defining identity and negotiating the challenges of everyday life. Essays explore the transformational aims of practices that require practitioners to move, gesture, and emote in prescribed ways, including the ways that scholars' own embodied practices are integral to their research methodology. The chapters are written by acknowledged experts in their respective subject areas and taken together offer an overview of current thinking in the field. The volume is of particular value to scholars who seek an orientation to current perspectives on important conceptual, theoretical, and methodological concerns that are shaping the field in areas outside their primary expertise. The inclusion of substantial, up-to-date bibliographies also makes the volume an important guide to current scholarship"--

Author : Marc L. Moskowitz
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
Page : 218 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2001-05-01
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0824824288

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The Haunting Fetus by Marc L. Moskowitz Pdf

The Haunting Fetus focuses on the belief in modern Taiwan that an aborted fetus can return to haunt its family. Although the topic has been researched in Japan and commented on in the Taiwanese press, it has not been studied systematically in relation to Taiwan in either English or Chinese. This fascinating study looks at a range of topics pertaining to the belief in haunting fetuses, including abortion, sexuality, the changing nature of familial power structures, the economy, and traditional and modern views of the spirit world in Taiwan and in traditional Chinese thought. It addresses the mental, moral, and psychological aspects of abortion within the context of modernization processes and how these ramify through historical epistemologies and folk traditions. The author illustrates how images of fetus-ghosts are often used to manipulate women, either through fear or guilt, into paying exorbitant sums of money for appeasement. He argues at the same time, however, that although appeasement can be expensive, it provides important psychological comfort to women who have had abortions as well as a much-needed means to project personal and familial feelings of transgression onto a safely displaced object. In addition to bringing to the surface underlying tensions within a family, appeasing fetus-ghosts, like other dealings with supernatural beings in Chinese religions, allows for atonement through economic avenues. The paradox in which fetus-ghost appeasement simultaneously exploits and assists evinces the true complexity of the issue--and of religious and gender studies as a whole.

Author : Vanessa R. Sasson
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
Page : 383 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2021-09-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780824889524

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Jewels, Jewelry, and Other Shiny Things in the Buddhist Imaginary by Vanessa R. Sasson Pdf

Renunciation is a core value in the Buddhist tradition, but Buddhism is not necessarily austere. Jewels—along with heavenly flowers, rays of rainbow light, and dazzling deities—shape the literature and the material reality of the tradition. They decorate temples, fill reliquaries, are used as metaphors, and sprout out of imagined Buddha fields. Moreover, jewels reflect a particular type of currency often used to make the Buddhist world go round: merit in exchange for wealth. Regardless of whether the Buddhist community has theoretically transcended the need for them or not, jewels—and the paradox they represent—are everywhere. Scholarship has often looked past this splendor, favoring the theory of renunciation instead, but in this volume, scholars from a wide range of disciplines consider the role jewels play in the Buddhist imaginary, putting them front and center for the first time. Following an introduction that relates the colorful story of the Emerald Buddha, one of the most famous jewels in the world, chapters explore the function of jewels as personal identifiers in Buddhist and other Indian religious traditions; Buddhaghosa’s commentary on the Jewel Sutta; the paradox of the Buddha’s bejeweled status before and after renunciation; and the connection in early Buddhism between jewels, magnificence, and virtue. The Newars of Nepal are the focus of a chapter that looks at their gemology and associations between gems and celestial deities. Contributors analyze the Fifth Dalai Lama’s reliquary, known as the “sole ornament of the world”; the transformation of relic jewels into precious substances and their connection to the Piprahwa stupa in Northern India and the Nanjing Porcelain Pagoda. Final chapters offer detailed studies of ritual engagement with the deity known as Wish-Fulfilling Jewel Avalokiteśvara and its role in the new Japanese lay Buddhist religious movement Shinnyo-en. Engaging and accessible, Jewels, Jewelry, and Other Shiny Things in the Buddhist Imaginary will provide readers with an opportunity to look beyond a common misconception about Buddhism and bring its lived tradition into wider discussion.

Author : Heather Dune Macadam
Publisher : Akashic Books
Page : 372 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2002-10-01
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 1888451394

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The Weeping Buddha by Heather Dune Macadam Pdf

National Book Award nominee Heather Dune Macadam presents her first novel - as mysterious and alluring as a Buddhist Koan. New Year's Eve: Long Island detectives Devon Halsey and Lochwood Brennen, secret lovers, are thrust into mayhem by the grisly murder of Devon's best friend. What has haunted Devon for years begins to take shape, and as she dissects the file, she learns that the carvings in the victims' bodies are actually Koans - unanswerable questions that must be meditated upon in order to reach enlightenment.

Author : Andy Rotman
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2021-05-25
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781614297215

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Hungry Ghosts by Andy Rotman Pdf

Preface -- Introduction: Mātsarya and the Malignancy of Meanness -- Hungry Ghosts through Images -- Technical Notes -- Translation: Avadānaśataka, Stories 41-50: 1. Sugar Mill: 41. Guḍaśālā -- 2. Food: 42. Bhaktam -- 3. Drinking Water: 43. Pānīyam -- 4. A Pot of Shit: 44. Varcaghaṭaḥ -- 5. Maudgalyāyana: 45. Maudgalyāyanaḥ -- 6. Uttara: 46. Uttaraḥ -- 7. Blind from Birth: 47. Jātyandhā -- 8. The Merchant: 48. Śreṣṭhī -- 9. Sons: 49. Putrāḥ -- 10. Jāmbāla: 50. Jāmbālaḥ -- Glossary -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author.

Author : Julie Otsuka
Publisher : Anchor
Page : 145 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2011-08-23
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780307700469

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The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka Pdf

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • PEN/FAULKER AWARD WINNER • The acclaimed author of The Swimmers and When the Emperor Was Divine tells the story of a group of young women brought from Japan to San Francisco as “picture brides” a century ago in this "understated masterpiece ... that unfolds with great emotional power" (San Francisco Chronicle). In eight unforgettable sections, The Buddha in the Attic traces the extraordinary lives of these women, from their arduous journeys by boat, to their arrival in San Francisco and their tremulous first nights as new wives; from their experiences raising children who would later reject their culture and language, to the deracinating arrival of war. Julie Otsuka has written a spellbinding novel about identity and loyalty, and what it means to be an American in uncertain times.

Author : Rocco LoBosco
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 184 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 0967185181

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Buddha Wept by Rocco LoBosco Pdf

Ona Ny's childhood unfolds like a dream. She is treasured by her family, particularly her brother, and though her ecstatic trances sometimes make her feel like a bit of an oddball, her ability to translate her visions into art is always gratifying.But while her mystical nature may seem frivolous during her childhood, years later, after Ona has become a loving wife and mother, it enables her to detect the subtle changes around her that indicate that the blissful tranquillity of everyday life is about to come to an end -- not only for her family but for many others as well. When the Khmer Rouge soldiers enter Phnom Penh and the surrounding villages, Ona understands that the moment is at hand. A novel of terror and transcendence, Buddha Wept insists on the persistence of love and endurance in the face of affliction.The character of Ona Ny is so beautifully drawn, at once so ephemeral and so authentically human, that the reader cannot help but want to be at her side as her life's journey takes her from a world of bliss to a world of unspeakable cruelty. Her sufferings are the reader's sufferings, and her gift -- the ability to muster the spiritual resources needed to transcend suffering -- is the reader's as well.

Author : Michael D. Nichols
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 270 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2019-02-14
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781438473239

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Malleable Māra by Michael D. Nichols Pdf

2019 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title This is the first book to examine the development of the figure of Māra, who appears across Buddhist traditions as a personification of death and desire. Portrayed as a combination of god and demon, Māra serves as a key antagonist to the Buddha, his followers, and Buddhist teaching in general. From ancient India to later Buddhist thought in East Asia to more recent representations in Western culture and media, Māra has been used to satirize Hindu divinities, taken the form of wrathful Tibetan gods, communicated psychoanalytic tropes, and appeared as a villain in episodes of Doctor Who. Michael D. Nichols details and surveys the historical transformations of the Māra figure and demonstrates how different Buddhist communities at different times have used this symbol to react to changing social and historical circumstances. Employing literary and cultural theory, Nichols argues that the representation of Māra closely parallels and reflects the social concerns and anxieties of the particular Buddhist community producing it.

Author : Kiera Van Gelder
Publisher : New Harbinger Publications
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2010-08-01
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781572248250

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The Buddha and the Borderline by Kiera Van Gelder Pdf

Kiera Van Gelder's first suicide attempt at the age of twelve marked the onset of her struggles with drug addiction, depression, post-traumatic stress, self-harm, and chaotic romantic relationships-all of which eventually led to doctors' belated diagnosis of borderline personality disorder twenty years later. The Buddha and the Borderline is a window into this mysterious and debilitating condition, an unblinking portrayal of one woman's fight against the emotional devastation of borderline personality disorder. This haunting, intimate memoir chronicles both the devastating period that led to Kiera's eventual diagnosis and her inspirational recovery through therapy, Buddhist spirituality, and a few online dates gone wrong. Kiera's story sheds light on the private struggle to transform suffering into compassion for herself and others, and is essential reading for all seeking to understand what it truly means to recover and reclaim the desire to live.

Author : Jim Ringel
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2022-09-27
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0999539817

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Hidden Buddha by Jim Ringel Pdf

Hidden Buddha: Lama Rinzen in the Hungry Ghost Realm is a Buddhist mystery wrapped inside a haunted house mystery.It only takes a single lifetime to approach enlightenment, and one lifetime is all Buddhist Lama Rinzen has. She must either learn the Hungry Ghost Realm's lesson or be condemned to repeat living in the realm throughout all future lifetimes.Things don't look promising. The lama is reborn as a doctor at Humboldt Hospital where the staff is unfriendly, the patients do not trust her, and the hospital is supposedly haunted by ghosts. Her teacher says to learn the lesson she must face these ghosts. But how do you confront something you can't be sure even exists?Then a strange illness begins to afflict Humboldt's patients. And an unconscious accident victim arrives without identification. And the patients suddenly begin to mysteriously disappear.Are they hiding?Or is this what the Buddha means when he talks about Emptiness? The way people once present suddenly are gone? Is there a lesson in that?

Author : Ven Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 118 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2015-05-07
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9556870539

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Stories of Ghosts from the Petavatthu by Ven Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera Pdf

Most of us are able to see beings who have been reborn in the human realm and many of the beings born in the animal realm. But it is very rare to have the opportunity to witness for ourselves the suffering experienced by those beings born in the ghost realm. Our great teacher, the Supreme Buddha, had an excellent knowledge and vision to be able to see these beings as well as the action that led to the suffering that they experience. In this book, "Stories of Ghosts," we can learn about many kinds of ghosts and the bad actions they did to be reborn in the ghost world. Some ghosts had done bad actions with their body, such as the former deer hunter who, in the ghost world, was torn to shreds by dogs day after day. Other ghosts had done bad things with their speech, such as the ghost who had the mouth of a pig. Even our mental actions can lead to rebirth as a ghost. In this book you will learn about the ghost who held many wrong views and because of that was eventually going to be born in hell for many eons. Some ghosts experience suffering because of not doing things such as practicing generosity. Because it is not easy to see the results of our own actions immediately, the information in this book will help us to make wise choices about what we do and don't do.

Author : S. K. Hookham,Susan K. Hookham
Publisher : SUNY Press
Page : 442 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 1991-01-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0791403572

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The Buddha Within by S. K. Hookham,Susan K. Hookham Pdf

Tathagatagarbha -- Buddha Nature -- is a central concept of Mahayana Buddhism crucial to all the living practice traditions of Tibetan and Zen Buddhism. Its relationship to the concept of emptiness has been a subject of controversy for seven hundred years. Dr. Hookam's work investigates the divergent interpretations of these concepts and the way the Tibetan tradition is resolving them. In particular she does this with reference to the only surviving Indian commentary on the Tathagatagarbha doctrine, the Ratnagotravibhaga. This text addresses itself directly to the issue of how to relate the doctrine of emptiness (the illusory nature of the world) to that of the truly existing, changeless Absolute (the Buddha Nature). This is the first work by a Western writer to present an analysis of the Shentong tradition based on previously untranslated sources. The Shentong view rests on meditative experience that is inaccessible to the conceptualizing mind. It is deeply rooted in the sutra tradition of Indian Buddhism and is central to an understanding of the Mahamudra and Dzogchen traditions and Tantric practice among Kagyupas and Hyingmapas.