Popular Buddhist Texts from Nepal: Narratives and Rituals of Newar BuddhismThis book demonstrates how popular ritual texts and story narratives have shaped the religious life and culture of the only surviving South Asian Mahayana Buddhist society, the Newars of Kathmandu. It begins with an account of the Newar Buddhist community's history and its place within the religious environment of Nepal and proceeds to build around five popular translations, several of which were known across Asia: the Srngabheri Avadana, the Simhalasarthabahu Avadana, the Tara, the Mahakala Vratas, and the Pancaraksa. Lewis documents how the respective texts have been domesticated in Nepal's art and architecture, healing traditions, and rituals. He shows how they provide paradigmatic case studies that transcend the Nepalese context, illustrating universal practices or issues in all Buddhist communities, such as gender relations and stupa veneration, the role of merchants, ethnicity, violence, devotions to celestial bodhisattvas by kings and women, and the role of mantra recitations and healing rituals in the lives of Buddhists. |
Contents
Introduction Buddhism as a Pragmatic Religious Tradition | 1 |
Popular Narratives and their Domestication in Buddhist Communities | 2 |
The Development of Buddhist Ritualism | 7 |
The Ritual Innovations of Mahayana Buddhism | 9 |
Nepal and Newar Buddhism | 11 |
The Context and Paradoxes of Modernity | 18 |
Stupas and Spouses The Shrngbheri Avadana | 21 |
Background | 22 |
Background | 91 |
Translation | 95 |
The Domestication of the Text | 107 |
Invoking the Powers of the Buddhist Dark Lord The Caturdashl Vrata of Mahakala | 109 |
Translation | 110 |
The Domestication of the Text | 113 |
Observations on the History of Practical Buddhism | 115 |
The Refuge of Mantra Recitation The Pancaraksa | 119 |
Translation | 28 |
The Domestication of the Text | 36 |
Observations on the History of Practical Buddhism | 39 |
Merchants Demonesses and Missionary Faith The Simhalasarthabahu Avadana | 49 |
Background | 50 |
Translation | 54 |
The Domestication of the Text | 81 |
Observations on the History of Practical Buddhism | 86 |
Devotions to a Celestial Bodhisattva The Tara Vrata | 89 |
Background | 121 |
Translation | 130 |
The Domestication of the Pancaraksa Texts | 153 |
Observations on the History of Practical Buddhism | 161 |
Summary and Conclusions The Domestication of Indic Buddhism and Its Construction in Modern Scholarship | 165 |
Notes | 181 |
205 | |
231 | |
Other editions - View all
Popular Buddhist Texts from Nepal: Narratives and Rituals of Newar Buddhism Todd T. Lewis Limited preview - 2000 |
Popular Buddhist Texts from Nepal: Narratives and Rituals of Newar Buddhism Todd T. Lewis No preview available - 2000 |
Popular Buddhist Texts from Nepal: Narratives and Rituals of Newar Buddhism Todd T. Lewis No preview available - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
amulet Ārya Asia Aṣṭami avadāna Avalokiteshvara beautiful blessings bodhisattva Brahmā Brahman Buddha Buddhist community Buddhist rituals Buddhist Studies Buddhist traditions buffalo caitya chanting chapter compassionate cultural dāna deities devotional dhāraṇī dharma dhist doctrinal domestication early flowers Gellner goddess Hindu householders husband Indian Indic Jambudvipa Jātaka kalasha karman Kathmandu Valley layfolk Lewis living lotus Mahākāla Mahāmāyūrī Mahāpratisarā Mahāvastu Mahāyāna Buddhism Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna maṇḍala mantras meditation merchants modern monastic monks nāgas narratives Nepal Nepalese Newar Buddhist offerings Pali Pañcarakṣā performed phat popular practice pūjā punya rākṣasīs Ratnapura recension recitation redaction refuge religion religious river Rūpavatī samgha Sanskrit scholars Schopen Shakyamuni Shri Simha Simhala Simhalasārthabāhu spiritual stories Stupa stūpas Sūtra SVĀHĀ Tāmradvīpa tantric Tārā TĀRE VAJRAPUSPAM PRATICCHA Tathāgata teachings textual Theravāda Tibet Tibetan tion tīrtha trade Translation Triratna upāsakas VAJRA vajrācārya VAJRAPUSPAM PRATIC VAJRAPUSPAM PRATICCHA SVĀHĀ Vajrayāna veneration vihāras Vinaya vrata wealth wife woman worship yakṣas