Religion 345 - Legends and Legitimacy in Theravada Buddhism

Institution:

Bard College

Subject:

Description:

Asian Studies This course explores the genre of chronicle ( vamsa) as employed in Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhist cultures. It examines the relationship between myth and history, and considers how mythically infused histories are conceived, preserved, explained, and employed. Following a review of the social history of Theravada Buddhism, the course focuses on the earliest texts from Sri Lanka, the Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa, where stories of three visits of the historical Buddha bolster Sinhala Buddhist claims of authority. Students examine how these texts have been employed in current nationalist and Buddhist fundamentalist movements, and then consider an informative case from 15thcentury northern Thailand, where an orthodox Theravada chronicle follows similar patterns and claims a preordained status for the nascent kingdom of the 7th-century Queen Cama.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bard.edu

Phone Number:

(845) 758-6822

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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