Buddhist Studies: Ancient and Modern

The book contains twelve scholarly essays. L. S. Cousins’ “Pāli Oral Literature” studies early Buddhist literature as an oral tradition, focusing on mnemonic structures, recitation, repetition, prose-sutta arrangement, and the transmission of nīkāya material. Philip Denwood’s essay on Tibetan Bonpo rituals examines ritual performance, protective divinities, mandalas, offerings, and the structure of Bon religious practice in relation to Tibetan Buddhist contexts. Richard F. Gombrich’s “Meditation in Modern Sri Lanka” analyzes Buddhist meditation as practised and interpreted in a modern Theravāda setting. Peter Harvey’s “The Nature of the Tathāgata” explores doctrinal interpretations of the Buddha’s nature and post-mortem status. Michael K. Pye’s study of Nāgārjuna considers the philosophical meaning of emptiness and Madhyamaka reasoning. Trevor Ling’s essay examines kingship and nationalism in Pāli Buddhism, connecting political order with Buddhist social and religious ideals. Peter Moore discusses Christianity and the academic study of religion. K. R. Norman studies Jainism in relation to Buddhism and comparative Indian religious history. Boris Oguibénine’s essay concerns value and Buddhist practice at Borobudur. A. Piatigorsky writes on the Supreme Patriarch in the Ratanakosin period. Alexander W. Macdonald examines Bodhi and arahant imagery in early Buddhist art, especially from Mathurā to Nāgārjunakoṇḍa. The volume concludes with a glossary supporting the technical vocabulary of the essays.