Burning for the Buddha : self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism
by
 
Benn, James A., 1964- author.

Title
Burning for the Buddha : self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism
 
Self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism.
 
Kuroda Institute studies in East Asian Buddhism ;
 
Studies in East Asian Buddhism ;

Author
Benn, James A., 1964- author.

ISBN
9780824829926
 
9780824867898

Personal Author
Benn, James A., 1964- author.

Publication Information
Honolulu : University of Hawai'i Press, [2007]

Physical Description
xiii, 360 pages ; 24 cm.

Series
Kuroda Institute studies in East Asian Buddhism ; no. 19.
 
Studies in East Asian Buddhism ; no. 19.

General Note
"A Kuroda Institute book."

Contents
Introduction -- "Mounting the smoke with glittering colors": self-immolation in early medieval China -- The Lotus Sutra, auto-cremation, and the indestructible tongue -- Samgha and the state: the power(s) of self-immolation -- Is self-immolation a "good practice"? Yongming Yanshou on relinquishing the body -- Local heroes in a fragmenting empire: self-immolation in the late Tang and five dynasties -- One thousand years of self-immolation -- Conclusion.

Abstract
"Burning for the Buddha: Self-Immolation in Chinese Buddhism is the first book-length study of the theory and practice of "abandoning the body" (self-immolation) in Chinese Buddhism. Although largely ignored by conventional scholarship, the acts of self-immolators (which included not only burning the body but also being devoured by wild animals, drowning oneself, and self-mummification, among others) form an enduring part of the religious tradition and provide a new perspective on the multifarious dimensions of Buddhist practice in China from the early medieval period to the present time. This book examines the hagiographical accounts of all those who made offerings of their own bodies and places them in historical, social, cultural, and doctrinal context."--Jacket.

Subject Term
Self-immolation -- Religious aspects -- Buddhism.
 
Self-immolation -- China.
 
Buddhism -- China -- Customs and practices.

Portion Title
Self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism.

Bibliographical References
Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-345) and index.

Field 805
npmlib 10702017 BQ5680 S45 B46 ysh


LibraryShelf NumberItem BarcodeCopyMaterial TypeStatus
NPM LibraryBQ5680 S45 B46 2007107020171B*二館西文書一區