A Storied Sage : Canon and Creation in the Making of a Japanese Buddha / Micah L. Auerback.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Auerback, Micah L., Author.

Series:

Buddhism and modernity.

Buddhism and Modernity

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gautama Buddha.

Buddhism--Japan.

Buddhism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (371 pages).

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, [2016]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Since its arrival in Japan in the sixth century, Buddhism has played a central role in Japanese culture. But the historical figure of the Buddha, the prince of ancient Indian descent who abandoned his wealth and power to become an awakened being, has repeatedly disappeared and reappeared, emerging each time in a different form and to different ends. A Storied Sage traces this transformation of concepts of the Buddha, from Japan's ancient period in the eighth century to the end of the Meiji period in the early twentieth century. Micah L. Auerback follows the changing fortune of the Buddha through the novel uses for the Buddha's story in high and low culture alike, often outside of the confines of the Buddhist establishment. Auerback argues for the Buddha's continuing relevance during Japan's early modern period and links the later Buddhist tradition in Japan to its roots on the Asian continent. Additionally, he examines the afterlife of the Buddha in hagiographic literature, demonstrating that the late Japanese Buddha, far from fading into a ghost of his former self, instead underwent an important reincarnation. Challenging many established assumptions about Buddhism and its evolution in Japan, A Storied Sage is a vital contribution to the larger discussion of religion and secularization in modernity.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Conventions

Introduction: A Buddha without Buddhism

1. The Buddha as Preceptor

2. The Buddha as Local Hero

3. The Buddha as Exemplar

4. The Buddha as Fraud

5. The Buddha as Character

Conclusion: Sage as Story

Notes

Works Cited

Finding Aid for Names and Terms

Index

Notes:

Previously issued in print: 2016.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9780226286419

022628641X

OCLC:

965542096