The Monastery Rules: Buddhist Monastic Organization in Pre-Modern Tibet
Berthe Jansen
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
Bookshop.org has the highest-rated customer service of any bookstore in the world
Description
A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. The Monastery Rules discusses the position of the monasteries in pre-1950s Tibetan Buddhist societies and how that position was informed by the far-reaching relationship of monastic Buddhism with Tibetan society, economy, law, and culture. Jansen focuses her study on monastic guidelines, or bca' yig. The first study of its kind to examine the genre in detail, the book contains an exploration of its parallels in other Buddhist cultures, its connection to the Vinaya, and its value as socio-historical source-material. The guidelines are witness to certain socio-economic changes, while also containing rules that aim to change the monastery in order to preserve it. Jansen argues that the monastic institutions' influence on society was maintained not merely due to prevailing power-relations, but also because of certain deep-rooted Buddhist beliefs.
Product Details
Price
$47.94
Publisher
University of California Press
Publish Date
October 23, 2018
Pages
298
Dimensions
6.0 X 9.0 X 0.67 inches | 0.97 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780520297005
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliateAbout the Author
Berthe Jansen is Professor of Tibetan Studies at the Institut für Indologie und Zentralasienwissenschaften, Leipzig University.
Reviews
"The Monastery Rules is one of the most important contributions to Tibetan studies to emerge in recent years because of the author's ability to situate the story of Tibetan monasticism within mainstream Buddhist Studies as well as to address important questions in Buddhist ethics."--Journal of Buddhist Ethics
"In its geographical, temporal and topical focus, the range of the book is exceptional. . . . a great reference for anyone studying Buddhist economies, Buddhist institutions, the Vinaya and the history of Tibetan and Mongolian societies, and of monastic institutions more generally. By surveying and compiling vast stores of knowledge on monastic guidelines, Jansen is able to illustrate compellingly the socio-economic relationships between pre-1950s monastic institutions and the laity." --Inner Asia (INAS)
"In its geographical, temporal and topical focus, the range of the book is exceptional. . . . a great reference for anyone studying Buddhist economies, Buddhist institutions, the Vinaya and the history of Tibetan and Mongolian societies, and of monastic institutions more generally. By surveying and compiling vast stores of knowledge on monastic guidelines, Jansen is able to illustrate compellingly the socio-economic relationships between pre-1950s monastic institutions and the laity." --Inner Asia (INAS)