Wilhelm Geiger and the Study of the History and Culture of Sri Lanka

The volume opens by presenting Wilhelm Geiger’s scholarly importance for Sri Lankan studies, especially his work on the Mahāvaṃsa, Pāli grammar, Sinhala language, and the historical traditions of Sri Lanka. The first group of essays focuses on Buddhism, including the authentication of scripture in Theravāda hermeneutics, the interpretation of Theravāda as Vibhajjavāda, ceremonial boundaries in Sri Lankan Buddhist monastic tradition, and the contribution of Nyanaponika Mahāthera as a German emissary of the Dhamma in Sri Lanka. The second group turns to historical and cultural research, examining sectarian politics and historiography in early Sri Lanka, Geiger’s studies of the Sri Lankan chronicles in light of later research, and the relevance of his work to the study of Sri Lanka’s architectural history. The final group addresses language and philology, including the status of Pāli studies after Geiger’s grammar and his contribution to the study of the Sinhala language. Together, the essays show how Geiger’s scholarship continues to function as a foundational reference point for the academic study of Sri Lankan Buddhism, history, literature, language, and culture.