This interdisciplinary collection of essays explores the biographical genre of the Buddhist traditions of South and Southeast Asia. Scholars in the history of religions, anthropology, literature and art history present a broad range of explorations into sacred biography as an interpretive genre. Easch essay makes unique contributions and the collection as a whole engages methodological and interpretive approaches that are central to scholars of Buddhism and those specializing in the study of south and Southeast Asia.
The question “how has ancient India’s incredibly rich literary heritage been visually represented” forms the centerpiece of this latest volume in Brill’s series Studies in Asian Art and Archaeology. Due to the overwhelming impression made by the texts themselves, the relationship between text and image has until now never received the attention it deserves. Numerous temples, though, not only in South Asia, but also in Southeast Asia carry the images of India’s great narratives. Special attention is given to those in Karnataka (India), Java (Indonesia), Angkor (Cambodia), and Tra Kieu (Vietnam). The work discusses theoretical aspects, provides new interpretations, and proposes innovative interpretations through advanced comparative and contextual approaches.
This book is an intercultural exploration of the full scope of evil. The problems of evil have beset humanity throughout the ages and continue to trouble us. The studies here examine evil in Asian thought, in Western theory, in the cosmic order, in human psychology, and in social practice. Insights are added to the philosophical discussions from religion, culture, history, law, technology, and literature.
New identifications of the 460 bas-reliefs of Borobudur illustrating the Gandavy?ha, based upon a comparison with the contents of three early Chinese translations of Sanskrit manuscripts of the text of Central Asian or Indian provenance.
A rich collection of lengthy and thorough articles about such a broad field as the history, art and archeology of South and Southeast Asia, this volume is a worthy tribute to a great scholar. Professor J. G. de Casparis has lectured and published widely both at the School of African and Oriental Studies in London and at the Departments of South and Southeast Asian Studies in Leiden. Inspired by his lifelong devotion to this field, his former colleagues and students, now spread over many countries in Asia and the West, present the selected fruits of their research as a token of friendship and admiration. Epigraphy is the main theme in most of the thirty articles contained in this volume, but others focus on the Borobudur, the Old-Javanese calendar, books and writing materials, Buddhist iconography, and important issues such as the nature of the ‘lasting relationship’ between South and Southeast Asia, particularly in pre-Islamic times. All authors share the outspoken historical and textual approach, so characteristic of the work of Professor de Casparis and his circle, thus giving this book its inner coherence and consistency. This book is not just a random collection of papers. The scope and richness of the contributions will not fail to appeal to new generations of scholars and students working in this field, and as such this book is expected to fulfill its own role in the transmission of knowledge regarding the great civilizations of ancient South and Southeast Asia.
In praise of Prambanan is devoted to the Hindu-Javanese temple complex of Candi Prambanan, also known by its locally more popular name of Candi Loro Jonggrang. The book has two parts. Part One is a general introduction to the temple complex based on an examination of the existing scholarly literature. It offers a detailed state-of-the-art survey of publications on Candi Prambanan as well as of the religious conditions which made its creation possible. Part Two contains a selection of important articles—in English translation—about the temple complex by prominent Dutch scholars all of whom had first-hand knowledge of it: J.W. IJzerman, J.Ph. Vogel, N.J. Krom, F.D.K. Bosch, B. de Haan, W.F. Stutterheim, V.R. van Romondt and A.J. Bernet Kempers. The book is richly illustrated with photographs, drawings and maps.
Paperback. This volume contains an English translation of the Mah&a ̄karmavibhanga, based upon a Chinese translation by Gautama Dharmaprajna of 582 A.D. The contents of the Mah&a ̄karmavibhanga have been illustrated on the reliefs of the hidden base of Candi Borobudur (Central Java, 9th Century A.D.) and the Chinese text contains many variae lectiones which help to clarify the intent of the sculptors. Chapter 3 re-examines the characteristics of the text and the manner in which the themes have been laid out on the walls. Chapter 4 deals with the language of gestures, as seen at Borobudur.This is the first work in English to deal with the identification of the reliefs. It contains many new identifications which provide an insight into the methods of illustration adopted by the sculptors. Contrary to the generally accepted view, neither the text nor the reliefs emphasize bad behavior resulting in negative karma; instead it deals with negative and po
In this unprecedented guide to the Vedas, Frits Staal, the celebrated author of Agni- The Vedic Ritual of the Fire Altarand Universals- Studies in Indian Logic and Linguisticsexamines almost every aspect of these ancient sources of Indic civilisation. Staal extracts concrete information from the Oral Tradition and Archaeology about Vedic people and their language, what they thought and did, and where they went and when. He provides essential information about the Vedas and includes selections and translations. Staal sheds light on mantras and rituals, that contributed to what came to be known as Hinduism. Significant is a modern analysis of what we can learn from the Vedas today- the original forms of the Vedic sciences, as well as the perceptive wisdom of the composers of the Vedas. The author puts Vedic civilisation in a global perspective through a wide-ranging comparison with other Indic philosophies and religions, primarily Buddhism. For Staal, originally a logician, the voyage of discovering the Vedas is like unpeeling an onion but without the certainty of reaching an end. Even so, his book shows that the Vedas have a logic all their own. Accessible, finely-argued, and with a wealth of information and insight, Discovering the Vedas is for both the scholar and the interested lay reader.
This book brings together essays by anthropologists, scholars of religion, and art historians to explore some of the most fundamental challenges that religious groups face as they expand from their homeland or confront the demands of modernity. The chapters span a broad geographical area that includes India, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, and China, and address issues from the classical and medieval period to the present. They show how sacred places have a plurality of meanings for all religious communities and how in their construction, secular politics, private religious experience, and sectarian rivalry can all intersect. A Buddha Dharma Kyokai Foundation Book on Buddhism and Comparative Literature.
