Living with the vinaya : an ethnography of monasticism in Myanmar / Ryosuke Kuramoto.
| Author/creator | Kuramoto, Ryōsuke, 1979- author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Honolulu : University of Hawaiʻi Press, [2025] |
| Description | xviii, 205 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Series | Contemporary Buddhism Contemporary Buddhism. ^A1334522 |
| Contents | Part I. The history of macrolevel monasticism in Myanmar. Part II. Characteristics of mesolevel monasticism. The dynamics of gaings and the life course of monks in Myanmar -- City-dwelling monks -- Monasteries: present conditions and problems. Part III. The dynamics of microlevel monasticism. Two scholarly forest monasteries -- The challenge to renounce society -- The challenge of self-governance. |
| Abstract | "Around the first century BCE, Buddhist monks formed monasteries and established relationships with kings and lay people. The rules monks live by, the Vinaya, are a pivotal source of meaning for them and their dealings with society and form the basis of multiple monasticisms across geographical regions and throughout history. The ways in which the Vinaya is understood and practiced, therefore, must take into account the kind of monasticism that emerges from it. In Living with the Vinaya, Ryosuke Kuramoto examines the process of creating monasticism in contemporary Myanmar by focusing on how monks acquire, possess, and consume material goods. To live as a monk means to obtain resources from society and to own and use these according to monastic rules. Over the centuries, as monks interacted more with the world beyond the monastery, the question of what a monk "should be" became a concern for not only monks, but also government authorities and lay people. How monks interpreted and observed the Vinaya became a question of legitimacy and power. Kuramoto's ethnographic analysis reveals the constant (re)creation of monasticism in Myanmar resulting from the interactions between monks and these groups in response to this question. He identifies some of the key mechanisms by which monasticism and broader Buddhist institutions are created and transformed and concludes that monastic governance is inseparable from the Buddhist state and the society that surrounds it"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Issued in other form | Online version: Kuramoto, Ryosuke, 1979- Living with the vinaya Honolulu : University of Hawaiʻi Press, [2024] 9780824899424 |
| LCCN | 2024008355 |
| ISBN | 9780824897550 |
| ISBN | 0824897552 hardcover |
| ISBN | kindle edition |
| ISBN | electronic publication |
| ISBN | electronic book |
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