Free eBooks Readings Of The Vessantara Jataka (Columbia Readings Of Buddhist Literature) Available To Downloads
The Vessantara Jataka tells the story of Prince Vessantara, who attained the Perfection of Generosity by giving away his fortune, his children, and his wife. Vessantara was the penultimate rebirth as a human of the future Gotama Buddha, and his extreme charity has been represented and reinterpreted in texts, sermons, rituals, and art throughout South and Southeast Asia and beyond. This anthology features well-respected anthropologists, textual scholars in religious and Buddhist studies, and art historians, who engage in sophisticated readings of the text and its ethics of giving, understanding of attachment and nonattachment, depiction of the trickster, and unique performative qualities. They reveal the story to be as brilliantly layered as a Homeric epic or Shakespearean play, with aspects of tragedy, comedy, melodrama, and utopian fantasy intertwined to problematize and scrutinize Theravada Buddhism's cherished virtues.
Series: Columbia Readings of Buddhist Literature
Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: Columbia University Press; Reprint edition (March 29, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0231160399
ISBN-13: 978-0231160391
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
Best Sellers Rank: #668,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #40 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Regional & Cultural > Asian > Indian #178 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > History #281 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > Sacred Writings
At last a really scholarly but readable introduction to this extraordinary story. Clear, well-researched articles outline local variations, festive links and colour – and demonstrate why this tale has historically been the most popular story in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asian Buddhism can only really be understood by some knowledge of this story – and this book brings its many contexts and variations to life. I think that those in the West who may not even have heard of this story, but who love great dramatic narratives, will find this provides really important background.
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