ENGLISH

Buddhist Hagiography in Early Japan: Images of Compassion in the Gyoki Tradition

By Jonathan Morris Augustine

Book information

Publisher
Routledge
Year
2005
ISBN
0415322456, 9780415322454
LCC
BQ960.Y557 A85 2004
Open Library ID
OL22604386M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
2 MB (1685644 bytes)
Series
Routledge Studies in Asian Religion
Edition
1
Pages
184\182
Topic
Religion Buddhism
Scanned
yes
Time added
2011-04-20 14:05:05
Религиоведение;Религиоведение буддизма;История буд

Description

Hagiographies or idealized biographies which recount the lives of saints, bodhisattvas and other charismatic figures have been the meeting place for myth and experience. In medieval Europe, the 'lives of saints' were read during liturgical celebrations and the texts themselves were treated as sacred objects. In Japan, it was believed that those who read the biographies of lofty monks would acquire merit. Since hagiographies were written or compiled by 'believers', the line between fantasy and reality was often obscured. This study of the bodhisattva Gyoki - regarded as the monk who started the largest social welfare movement in Japan - illustrates how Japanese Buddhist hagiographers chose to regard a single monk's charitable activities as a miraculous achievement that shaped the course of Japanese history.

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