Images, Relics, and Legends The Formation and Transformation of Buddhist Sacred Sites

A major collection of important essays by many of the leading scholars in the field of Buddhism, including Phyllis Granoff from Yale University, T.H.Barrett from the University of London, Raoul Birnbaum from University of California, Toru Funayama from Kyoto University, Eugene Wang from Harvard University and others. The spread of Buddhism in Asia may be viewed from one perspective as a protracted and complex process in which numerous sacred sites were continually created and recreated in different parts of Asia. The story of Buddhism increasingly penetrating into all levels of society in Asia is mirrored by another narrative in which some of the most sacred sites in India were reproduced in other parts of the world. This reproduction or doubling was, however, never a simple matter of transplantation; rather it involved complex cultural adjustments and inventions. The study of Buddhist sacred sites in South and East Asia, therefore, yields some revealing new perspectives on the cross-cultural issues created by the Buddhist conquest of Asia.” The volume sheds new light on issues such as pilgrimage; the development of Buddhist monasticism; the remembrance of Buddhist saints and patriarchs; Buddhist sacred sites and more, and deepens our understanding of the Buddhist tradition.