Charming Cadavers
Charming Cadavers

Author: Liz Wilson

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1996-12

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9780226900537

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In this highly original study of sexuality, desire, the body, and women, Liz Wilson investigates first-millennium Buddhist notions of spirituality. She argues that despite the marginal role women played in monastic life, they occupied a very conspicuous place in Buddhist hagiographic literature. In narratives used for the edification of Buddhist monks, women's bodies in decay (diseased, dying, and after death) served as a central object for meditation, inspiring spiritual growth through sexual abstention and repulsion in the immediate world. Taking up a set of universal concerns connected with the representation of women, Wilson displays the pervasiveness of androcentrism in Buddhist literature and practice. She also makes persuasive use of recent historical work on the religious lives of women in medieval Christianity, finding common ground in the role of miraculous afflictions. This lively and readable study brings provocative new tools and insights to the study of women in religious life.

The Division of Heaven and Earth
The Division of Heaven and Earth

Author: Shokdung

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017-01-01

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1849049254

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This is a translation of one of the most influential and important books from Tibet in the modern era, a passionate indictment of Chinese policies and an eloquent analysis of protests that swept Tibet from March, 2008 - the 'Earth Rat' year according to the Tibetan calendar - as a re-awakening of Tibetan national consciousness and solidarity. The Division of Heaven and Earth was banned by the Chinese government on publication, and led to Shokdung being "disappeared" and imprisoned for nearly six months. This English translation is being made available for the first time since copies began to circulate underground in Tibet. The author, Tagyal -- who uses the pen name Shokdung, meaning "morning conch"-- one of Tibet's leading intellectuals, wrote his book in response to an unprecedented wave of bold demonstrations and expressions of Tibetan solidarity and national identity. In his foreword Matthew Akester, a Tibet specialist who translated this book into English, offers an account of the significance of these developments, which transformed the political landscape across the plateau and led to a sustained and violent crackdown by the Chinese authorities that continues to this day. Shokdung's book is regarded as the most daring and wide-ranging critique of China's policies in Tibet since the 10th Panchen

Sources of Tibetan Tradition
Sources of Tibetan Tradition

Author: Kurtis R. Schaeffer

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2013-03-26

Total Pages: 853

ISBN-13: 0231509782

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The most comprehensive collection of Tibetan works in a Western language, this volume illuminates the complex historical, intellectual, and social development of Tibetan civilization from its earliest beginnings to the modern period. Including more than 180 representative writings, Sources of Tibetan Tradition spans Tibet's vast geography and long history, presenting for the first time a diversity of works by religious and political leaders; scholastic philosophers and contemplative hermits; monks and nuns; poets and artists; and aristocrats and commoners. The selected readings reflect the profound role of Buddhist sources in shaping Tibetan culture while illustrating other major areas of knowledge. Thematically varied, they address history and historiography; political and social theory; law; medicine; divination; rhetoric; aesthetic theory; narrative; travel and geography; folksong; and philosophical and religious learning, all in relation to the unique trajectories of Tibetan civil and scholarly discourse. The editors begin each chapter with a survey of broader social and cultural contexts and introduce each translated text with a concise explanation. Concluding with writings that extend into the early twentieth century, this volume offers an expansive encounter with Tibet's exceptional intellectual heritage.

The History and Culture of Kashmir
The History and Culture of Kashmir

Author: Manohar Lal Kapur

Publisher:

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13:

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There Has Existed Enough Material For The Writing Of History In Our Country, And Many Scholars Have Been Making Their Contribution In This Field From Time Immemorial. But The Methodology Adopted By Them Was Defective In Many Respects. The Myths And Legends, For Instance, Were Not Always Distinguished From Historical Facts. Some-Times, They Treated The Historical Events Merely As A Means Of Religious Propaganda Or As Background For The Display Of Their Poetical Skill. The Same Is True Of Kalhana And Many Other Great Historians Of Kashmir. While The Basic Value Of Their Works Cannot Be Underestimated, All Of Them Need A Highly Critical Examination With A View To Getting At The Truth And Writing A Reliable History Of Early Kashmir. The Present Work Is An Attempt In This Direction. No Doubt Some Other Scholars Also Have Done Likewise, And Successfully, There Is Still Scope For Further Work. In Fact, The Source Material Is So Vast And Varied That Only A Few Selected Topics Have Been Included Even In This Volume, And It Is Hoped That These Would Enthuse Other Scholars To Undertake Further Research On The History And Culture Of Kashmir, Which Would Definitely Prove Rewarding.

2500 Years of Buddhism
2500 Years of Buddhism

Author: P.V. Bapat

Publisher: Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting

Published:

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 8123023049

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About the life of Buddha

Falstaff
Falstaff

Author: Roderick Marshall

Publisher: HarperElement

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13:

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The figure of Falstaff is well-known in the West as the extraordinary Shakespearean schemer whose presence dominated the Henry plays, but this study reveals the same character as a recurring theme in the literatures of many cultures and epochs. Histories and folklores as disparate as those of India, Greece, Russia and Egypt all offer the same archetype of the shrewd, dishonourable manipulator.

Discourse in Early Buddhist Art
Discourse in Early Buddhist Art

Author: Vidya Dehejia

Publisher:

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13:

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Illustrations: Numerous B/w Illustrations Description: Story-telling is an ever popular activity that occurs across space and time. Which child has not sat enthralled by the magic of story-tellers, and which adult has not succumbed to the seduction of reenactments of great legends? India's ancient Buddhists capitalized on the lure of stories, portraying them visually in stone reliefs and painted murals, to introduce viewers to the Buddhist faith and to confirm them in their belief. Commencing in the first century BC, Buddhist monasteries across the Indian subcontinent were extensively decorated with visual narratives of varying sizes, from a mere twelve inch panel to an extensive fifty foot wall. This book is a pioneering exploration of the manner in which stories are told. It identifies seven modes of visual story-telling used by the artist in early India, considers the reason for one mode being chosen over another, and explores how the effect of a story on the viewer varied according to the manner chosen to portray it. The book is a contribution to the expanding sphere of art, historical investigation and also to the field of Buddhist studies. Contents Preface Photographic Sources Discourse and Story 1. On Modes of Visual Narration 2. The Multivalent Sign in Early Buddhist Art 3. Text and Image II. Sites Of Narrative 4. Towards Narrative : Sanchi Stupa 5. Emergence of Visual Narrative : Bharhut Stupa 6. Narrative Achieves Assurance : Sanchi Stupa 7. Variations in Narrativity : Lesser Monasteries 8. Maturity of Narrative : Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda 9. Narrative Cycles at Gandhara 10. Ajanta's Painted Murals 11. The Narrative Tradition Recedes 12. Concluding Remarks