Sacred Biography in the Buddhist Traditions of South and Southeast Asia

Contents

Contents Preface ix Trajectories in Buddhist Sacred Biography Juliane Schober 1 Part 1 Buddha Biography in Textual and Visual Narratives Rebirth Traditions and the Lineages of Gotama: A Study in Theravâda Buddhology Frank E. Reynolds 19 The Biographical Imperative in Theravâda Buddhism Mark R. Woodward 40 Narrative as Icon: The Jâtaka Stories in Ancient Indian and Southeast Asian Architecture Robert L. Brown 64 v Part 2 Extensions of the Buddha Biography in Texts A Family Quest: The Buddha, Yaùodharâ, and Râhula in the Mûlasarvâstivâda Vinaya John S. Strong 113 Nâgârjuna’s Longevity Reginald A. Ray 129 Stûpa, Story, and Empire: Constructions of the Buddha Biography in Early Post-Aùokan India Jonathan S. Walters 160 Part 3 The Jâtakas and Biographies of Kings Painting the “Great Life” Forrest McGill 195 From Prose to Poetry: The Literary Development of Samuttakote Thomas John Hudak 218 “Rationality” in the Biography of a Buddhist King: Mongkut, King of Siam (r. 1851–1868) Paul Christopher Johnson 232 vi  Contents Part 4 The Biographical Genre in Local Buddhist Cults and Practice In the Presence of the Buddha: Ritual Veneration of the Burmese Mahâmuni Image Juliane Schober 259 The Textualization of a Monastic Tradition: Forest Monks, Lineage, and the Biographical Process in Thailand James L. Taylor 289 The Biography of Modern Burmese Buddhist Meditation Master U Ba Khin: Life before the Cradle and past the Grave Gustaaf Houtman 310 Index 345 About the Contributors 365 Color plates follow page 194 Contents  vii ...