Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition Acknowledgments Introduction PART I. THE POPULAR TRADITION Ideal Action Ritual Occasions, Merit, and the Appropriation of Power Festivals Rites of Passage PART II. BUDDHISM AND THE STATE Asoka, the Exemplary Buddhist Ruler Kings and Cosmology The Cosmological Scheme of the Three Worlds The Buddha as Cosmocrator Modern Nationalism and Buddhism PART III. BUDDHISM AND MODERNIZATION The Changing Role of the Monk Reforming the Tradition The Changing Role of the Laity Women and Buddhism Buddhism and the West Postscript Appendix 1 Sigalaka Sutta: Code of Lay Ethics Appendix 2 Borobudur Notes Glossary Bibliography Index

About the Author

Donald K. Swearer is Distinguished Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies and Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at the Harvard Divinity School. He is the author or editor of several books, including Becoming the Buddha: The Ritual of Image Consecration in Thailand.