Buddhist World of Southeast Asia, The by Donald K Swearer

Buddhist World of Southeast Asia, The by Donald K Swearer

This book is a remarkable synthesis and empathetic interpretation of Buddhism in Southeast Asia. No other single book matches its depth and breadth, or its balance between scholarly interpretation and sensitive first person portrayal. The author focuses his analysis on Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia as a dynamic, complex system of thought and practice imbedded in the respective cultures, societies, and histories of Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka. The book discusses three distinct but interrelated aspects of this system: the popular tradition in terms of paradigms of ideal action, rituals, festivals, and rites of passage; Buddhism as civic religion in terms of King Asoka as the paradigmatic Buddhist monarch, cosmology and kingship, and Buddhism and the modern nation state; and modern transformations of the tradition in terms of the changing roles of the monk and the laity, modern reform movements, and Buddhism in the West.

Donald K. Swearer is Professor of Religion at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780791424605
ISBN 10	079142460X
Title	Buddhist World of Southeast Asia, The
Author	Donald K Swearer
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	State University of New York Press
Year published	1995-07-01
Number of pages	272
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.