The Buddha in Sri Lanka: Histories and Stories

Gananath Obeyesekere

Aug 2017 · Taylor & Francis

Ebook

384

Pages

Eligible

Ratings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More

About this ebook

This book examines culture, religion and polity in the context of Buddhism. Gananath Obeyesekere, one of the foremost analytical voices from South Asia develops Freud’s notion of ‘dream work’, the ‘work of culture’ and ideas of no-self (anatta) to understand Buddhism in contemporary Sri Lanka. This work offers a restorative interpretation of Buddhist myths in contrast to the perspective involving deconstruction. The book deals with a range of themes connected with Buddhism, including oral traditions and stories, the religious pantheon, philosophy, emotions, reform movements, questions of identity and culture, and issues of modernity.

This fascinating volume will greatly interest students, teachers and researchers of religion and philosophy, especially Buddhism, ethics, cultural studies, social and cultural anthropology, Sri Lanka and modern South Asian history.

About the author

Gananath Obeyesekere is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University, USA where he has taught for 20 years. His recent publications include The Awakened Ones: An Essay on the Phenomenology of the Visionary Experience (2012); Cannibal Talk: The Man-eating Myth and Human Sacrifice in the South Seas (2005); and Imagining Karma: Ethical Transformation in Amerindian, Buddhist, and Greek Rebirth and Karma and Rebirth: A Cross-Cultural Study (2002/2006). Several of his books have been translated into Japanese, Polish and Turkish, and his essays have appeared in numerous journals and edited volumes.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets

Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.

Laptops and computers

You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

eReaders and other devices

To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.

Report illegal content