A Collation Of Articles On Thai Women And Buddhism

If Christian mission in Asia and most of the non-Western world is ever to advance, it must seriously consider the importance of family networks. Far too long the strategy of a “one by one” approach has stifled the spread of the gospel, reinforced a highly individualized unbiblical theology and destroyed social relationships that might lead to conversation, conversion and social transformation. With this concern in mind, SEANET is proud to present another volume in its series addressing critical missiological issues relevant to the practice of mission in Buddhist, Asian and many other contexts. Our title, Family and Faith in Asia: The Missional Impact of Extended Networks, attempts to issue a wake-up call to serious reflection on a highly ignored social reality in Buddhist and many other social contexts. The book is a resource useful for anyone wishing to study practical approaches to issues related to family and faith in Asia, particularly in Buddhist contexts for mission.

This selection of essays, originally published between 1988 and 2010, demonstrates that in the study of Buddhism a concern with detailed accuracy in philological and textual specifics can be combined with an attempt to deal with wider (and difficult) philosophical and sociological issues. The first part, Pali Literature, deals with the historical formation of the Pali Canon, with the continuing oral aspects of Pali texts, and, looking at the entire range of Pali texts, with the question “What is Literature in Pali?” The second part, The theory and Practice of Not-self, looks at the Buddhist denial of self as both a philosophical position and as a form of practice, one in which a process of self-transformative behavioral and psychological training is seen to culminate in the realization that there is no self underlying the ever-changing moments of experience. The third part, Buddhism and Society, has two essays reflecting on and extending Louis Dumont’s comparative theorizing about the individual and society in East and West, and a final contemporary treatment of Buddhist “nuns” (mae chi) in Thravāda Buddhism, both in general and specifcally as active in higher education in Bangkok. The three essays attempt to build on but go beyond the work of Dumont, and behind him Max Weber, in thinking about what they would call “world-renunciation” as a phenomenon of society and culture.

"Thai Women in Buddhism chronicles the history of these women and suggests broader possibilities for women's involvement.

A comprehensive overview of modern Buddhism across cultures, showing how this ancient religion has adapted to recent social and political change. Collecting the work of leading authorities on Buddhism in different societies around the world, this book details the state of the religion in Asian countries where it is a major cultural influence and in North America. The religion has changed to meet the challenges of modernity; its practitioners have incorporated those innovations and this work examines those changes in-depth. A comprehensive overview of historical Buddhist practice grounds the reader for the entire nine chapters, each of which is organized by geographical area and follows the path Buddhism took as it spread across Asia and into North America. Each chapter presents field research and critical reflection on what constitutes modern Buddhism in one of nine countries or regions. Histories of Buddhism are common; this is the only source for in-depth information on modern Buddhism.

This volume comprises papers originally presented at the EurASEAA14 conference in 2012, updated for publication. It focuses on topics under the broad themes of archaeology and art history, epigraphy, philology, historic archaeology, ethnography, ethnoarchaeology, ethnomusicology, materials studies, and long-distance trade and exchange.