Buddhism in Asia: Revival and Reinvention

Buddhism has a long history in Asia, with different doctrines, practices, and propagation across the region. This volume showcases the expansion and popularity of Buddhism in modern times, focusing on India, Sri Lanka, and China. Essays highlight the cross-fertilization between Buddhism and contemporary discourses, as well as the variety of forms the revival has taken depending on the historical and cultural context. While there are continuities with the past, revivalist movements have involved crafting new interpretations and introducing new ideas and practices.

Format: Hardback
Length: 411 pages
Publication date: 19 July 2024
Publisher: Manohar Publishers and Distributors

Buddhism has a rich history that dates back to the sixth century BCE and has undergone significant changes and variations in its doctrines, practices, and propagation across Asia over the centuries. This volume showcases the expansion and popularity of Buddhism in modern times, focusing on India, Sri Lanka, and China. The essays highlight the cross-fertilization between Buddhism and contemporary discourses, making the Buddhist revival in Asia a distinctly modern phenomenon. They also demonstrate how this resurgence took various forms depending on the historical and cultural context, including Buddhism's interactions with other religious traditions. While there are continuities with the past, revivalist movements have been characterized by a strong sense of history and have involved crafting new interpretations of the distant past and introducing new ideas and practices. The term "reinvention" seems to capture this aspect of dynamic change better than "revival."

Dimension: 254 x 203 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789350981160