Buddhist Manuscript Cultures: Knowledge, Ritual, and Art

This book explores how Buddhist material culture as well as literary and artistic traditions shaped religious and cultural practices in pre-modern Asia. Specifically, they investigate the roles manuscripts and images play in the transmission of Buddhist texts and in fostering devotion among Buddhist communities. Collectively, the book offer cross-cultural and comparative insights into the transmission of Buddhist knowledge and the use of texts and images as ritual objects in the artistic and aesthetic traditions of Buddhist cultures.Contributions are by reputed scholars in Buddhist Studies and as a whole represent diverse disciplinary approaches from art history, religious studies, history and anthropology. The comparative focus of the book on the use of manuscripts and other forms of texts will make a distinctive contribution to the field of Buddhist Studies.