Nirvana and other Buddhist felicities: utopias of the Pali imaginaire

This book presents an answer to the question: what is nirvana? Part I distinguishes between systematic and narrative thought in the Pali texts of Theravada Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia, arguing that nirvana produces closure in both, and setting nirvana in the wider category of Buddhist Felic...

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Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:Nirvana & Other Buddhist Felicities
Main Author: Collins, Steven 1951-2018 (Author)
Format: Electronic Book
Language:English
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Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Cambridge Cambridge University Press 1998.
In:Year: 1998
Reviews:The Medieval Imagination: A New Perspective from Southern Asia (2000) (Reynolds, Frank E., 1930 - 2019)
Series/Journal:Cambridge studies in religious traditions 12
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Nirvana / Paradise
B Tipiṭaka. Suttapiṭaka. Khuddakanikāya. Jātaka. Vessantarajātaka
Further subjects:B Buddhism Doctrines
B Nirvana
B Buddhism ; Doctrines
B Utopias Religious aspects Buddhism
B Utopias ; Religious aspects ; Buddhism
Online Access: Review
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Print version: 9780521570541
Description
Summary:This book presents an answer to the question: what is nirvana? Part I distinguishes between systematic and narrative thought in the Pali texts of Theravada Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia, arguing that nirvana produces closure in both, and setting nirvana in the wider category of Buddhist Felicities. Part II explores other Buddhist utopias (both eu-topias, 'good places', and ou-topias, 'no-places'), and relates Buddhist utopianism to studies of European and American utopian writing. The book ends with a close reading of the Vessantara Jataka, which highlights the conflict between the ascetic quest for closure and ultimate felicity, and the ongoing demands of ordinary life and society. Steven Collins discusses these issues in relation to textuality, world history and ideology in premodern civilizations, aiming to contribute to an alternate vision of Buddhist history, which can hold both the inside and the outside of texts together.
Item Description:Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015)
ISBN:0511520654
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511520655