A Rite of Their Own: Japanese Buddhist Nuns and the Anan kōshiki
This article presents a history of the Anan kōshiki, a chanted lecture dedicated to the Buddha's disciple Ānanda. After briefly discussing its precursors in ancient India and China, I examine this ritual in three moments of time—its medieval Japanese origins, its early modern revitalization, an...
| Published in: | Japanese journal of religious studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Nanzan Institute
2016
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| In: |
Japanese journal of religious studies
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Ananda ca. 6 BC. Jh.
/ Japan
/ Kōshiki
/ Bhikkuni
/ Woman
/ History
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| RelBib Classification: | AG Religious life; material religion BL Buddhism KBM Asia KCA Monasticism; religious orders KCD Hagiography; saints NBE Anthropology TA History |
| Further subjects: | B
Women
B Zen Buddhism B Enlightenment B Monks B Religious Studies B Stupas B Ordination B Religious rituals B Nuns |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | This article presents a history of the Anan kōshiki, a chanted lecture dedicated to the Buddha's disciple Ānanda. After briefly discussing its precursors in ancient India and China, I examine this ritual in three moments of time—its medieval Japanese origins, its early modern revitalization, and its contemporary performances and a contemporary commentary on the ritual. The ritual has been performed exclusively by Buddhist nuns in honor of Ānanda's role in convincing the Buddha to admit women to the monastic order. I argue that the ritual has functioned polysemously for nuns, affirming their marginalization and lesser status vis-vis the male clergy, while also serving as a means for nuns to celebrate their gender difference as female monastics. The full translation of the Anan appears in the online supplement of this JJRS issue. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.43.1.2016.207-250 |