Table of Contents

Abbreviations Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction Approaching the yaksa The problematic function of demons Indian ethical paradigms My approach to the material Chapter 1. The Yaksa And The Waters Introduction Iconography and method Yaksa beginnings in Buddhism and Jainism Iconography and metaphor Mythological background Nature cosmology The essence of the waters The demiurge in the waters Trees, water, and fertility Trees in Buddhist tradition Bibliography

About the Author

Gail Hinich Sutherland is Assistant Professor of Asian Religions at Louisiana State University.

Reviews

"The author does a very successful job in exploring the place and function of demons in Hindu/Buddhist mythology and iconography. She addresses the ways in which demons dwell on the boundaries between good and evil, human and divine, and, as boundary transgressors, serve to connect the disparate aspects of the religious traditions together." -- Paul Courtright, Emory University