This book provides a vivid and detailed picture of the daily life and religious practices of Buddhist monks and nuns in the classic period of Theravada Buddhism. The author describes the way in which the Buddha's disciples institutionalized and ritualized his teachings about food, dress, money, chastity, solitude, and discipleship. This tradition represents an ideal of religious life that has been followed in India and South Asia for more than two thousand years. The introduction by Steven Collins describes Theravada Buddhist literature, discusses the issue of the historical reliability of the texts, and offers extensive suggestions for further reading. The book will be of interest to scholars and students in Asian studies, religious studies, anthropology, and history.
FREE Two-Day Shipping for students on millions of items. Learn more |
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"For anybody who is interested in the process of codification of monastic rules in the Theravada tradition, Wijayaratna's book offers extensive scriptural information..." Cistercian Studies Quarterly
"I am delighted to see this translation in print. The French version has been revised and admirably translated. For an understanding of the founding and early form of the Buddhist monastic order most people still rely on Dult's pioneering book, published in 1924, which is now quite out of date. This book completely supersedes Dult. Let us hope that this major contribution to the history of religions will now reach the audience it deserves." Richard Gombrich, Oxford University
"I am delighted to see this translation in print. The French version has been revised and admirably translated. For an understanding of the founding and early form of the Buddhist monastic order most people still rely on Dult's pioneering book, published in 1924, which is now quite out of date. This book completely supersedes Dult. Let us hope that this major contribution to the history of religions will now reach the audience it deserves." Richard Gombrich, Oxford University
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French
Original Language: French
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Highly valuable and accessible resource,
By
This review is from: Buddhist Monastic Life: According to the Texts of the Theravada Tradition (Paperback)
This book supplies something hard to find: a presentation of the daily lives and routine of the original Buddhist monks, as much as we can get, based on solid research, good translations, and a clear understanding of the Buddha's teachings. It is presented in a style that is not overburdened with technical language or jargon. Tremendously useful and pleasant to read. Here is what they wore, what they ate, how they got it, why they were instructed to travel, and how the monastic code (Vinaya) was interpreted as times changed.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence:
Buddhism first arose as a movement of "renounces." Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
inner progress, solitary buddhas, lay followers, lay households, three robes, extra robe, venerable ones, lay life, other religious sects, naked ascetic, other ascetics, ten precepts, three knowledges, other religious systems, great banker Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Rainy Season Retreat, Nissaggiya Pacittiya, Pali Vinaya, Ananda Thera, Bhikkhuni Patimokkha, Buddhist Community, Buddha Gotama, Licchavi Vaddha, Monastic Rule New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Buddhism first arose as a movement of "renounces." Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
inner progress, solitary buddhas, lay followers, lay households, three robes, extra robe, venerable ones, lay life, other religious sects, naked ascetic, other ascetics, ten precepts, three knowledges, other religious systems, great banker Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Rainy Season Retreat, Nissaggiya Pacittiya, Pali Vinaya, Ananda Thera, Bhikkhuni Patimokkha, Buddhist Community, Buddha Gotama, Licchavi Vaddha, Monastic Rule New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 10
books:
See all 10 books this book cites
7
books
cite this book:
See all 7 books citing this book
- Robe and Plough: Monasticism and Economic Interest in Early Medieval Sri Lanka (Monographs of the Association for Asian Studies, No. 35.) by R. A. L. H. Gunawardana in Front Matter
- Vinaya Texts: v. 13, 17 & 20 by F. Max-Muller in Front Matter
- Sri Lanka: A Bitter Harvest (Minority Rights Group Report) by E. Nissan in Front Matter
- Encyclopedia of Religion Vol 4 Conc - Ecol in Front Matter
- Buddhist Monastic Discipline by Charles S. Prebish in Front Matter
See all 10 books this book cites
- The Different Paths of Buddhism: A Narrative-Historical Introduction by Carl Olson in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk (A Philip E. Lilienthal Book in Asian Studies) by Georges B.J. Dreyfus in Back Matter
- The Foundations of Buddhism (Opus) by Rupert Gethin in Back Matter
- Women in the Footsteps of the Buddha: Struggle for Liberation in the Therigatha (Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism) by Kathryn R. Blackstone in Back Matter
- A Survey of Vinaya Literature (Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism) by Charles S. Prebish on page 137
See all 7 books citing this book
Books on Related Topics
(learn more)
|
|
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
