Description:
"Weber?s claim that Buddhism is an otherworldly religion is only partially true.
Early sources indicate that the Buddha was sometimes diverted from supramundane
interests to dwell on a variety of politically related matters. The
significance of Asoka Maurya as a paradigm for later traditions of Buddhist
kingship is also well attested. However, there has been little scholarly effort to
integrate findings on the extent to which Buddhism interacted with the political
order in the classical and modern states of Theravada Asia into a wider,
comparative study.
This volume brings together the brightest minds in the study of Buddhism
in Southeast Asia. Their contributions create a more coherent account of the
relations between Buddhism and political order in the late pre-modern and
modern period by questioning the contested relationship between monastic
and secular power. In doing so, they expand the very nature of what is known
as the ?Theravada?. This book offers new insights for scholars of Buddhism,
and it will stimulate new debates..."
Source/publisher:
Routledge
Date of Publication:
2007-00-00
Date of entry:
2010-10-14
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Language:
English