The legend and cult of Upagupta : Sanskrit Buddhism in north India and Southeast Asia / John S. Strong.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Strong, John, 1948-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Upagupta.

Buddhism--Southeast Asia--History.

Buddhism.

History.

Southeast Asia.

Physical Description:

xviii, 390 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [1992]

Summary:

The Buddhist monk upagupta, who preached and taught meditative practices in Northwest India over two thousand years ago, is venerated today by the laity in parts of Burma, Thailand, and Laos as a protective figure endowed with magical powers. In this monumental work John Strong offers a systematic presentation of the Indian and Southeast Asian legends and rituals surrounding this popular saint. Once considered by Buddhist authorities as only marginally important, Upagupta emerges here as a central, ubiquitous figure within the Buddhist world. The author demonstrates the remarkable continuity among traditions focused on Upagupta in ancient Sarvastivadin Sanskrit materials, key Pali texts, medieval Thai and Burmese texts, and contemporary oral traditions and religious rituals in Southeast Asia. In so doing he reflects the orientation of popular Sanskrit Hinayana Buddhism, which allows for new perspectives on such classic questions as the nature of enlightenment, the role of asceticism, the problem of evil, the worship of the Buddha image, the veneration of saints, master-disciple relationships, the treatment of heterodoxy, and the relation of myth and ritual.

Contents:

Pt. 1 Upagupta in India

Ch. 1 Provisions for the Buddha's Absence 23

Ch. 2 Monk and Monkey: Upagupta's Karmic Past 44

Ch. 3 Birth and Lineage, Patriarchs, and the Forest-Monk Tradition 57

Ch. 4 Lay Life, Ordination, and Arhatship 75

Ch. 5 Upagupta and Mara: Bhakti and the Buddha Body 93

Ch. 6 Master-Disciple Relations 118

Ch. 7 Upagupta and Asoka 145

Pt. 2 Upagupta in Southeast Asia

Ch. 8 The Southeast Asian Context: Upagupta and Theravada Orthodoxy 171

Ch. 9 The Lokapannatti Legend 186

Ch. 10 Mythic Elaborations and Ritual Developments 209

Ch. 11 Upagupta and the Arhat Cults 236

Ch. 12 Communal Cults: Upagupta as Protector of Festivals 253

Ch. 13 Personal Rewards and Domestic Rites 273.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0691073899 :

OCLC:

23462044