In this study a social and cultural anthropologist and a
specialist in the study of religion pool their talents to examine recent
changes in popular religion in Sri Lanka. As the Sinhalas themselves
perceive it, Buddhism proper has always shared the religious arena with a
spirit religion. While Buddhism concerns salvation, the spirit of
religion focuses on worldly welfare. Buddhism Transformed describes and
analyzes the changes that have profoundly altered the character of
Sinhala religion in both areas. This is the first book to record
systematically the cultural impact of the deterioration in how the
"other half" lives in Sri Lanka. After Sri Lankan independence in 1948,
health care advanced and literacy became universal, but the economy was
unable to meet the rising expectations of the exploding population.
People became poorer and more mobile, and the village community began to
disappear. As new stresses in Sri Lankan society create new
psychological needs, changes have occurred in what the authors call
Protestant Buddhism (the Buddhism formed under Protestant influence
after British conquest). In the spirit cults, morally less scrupulous
gods have become prominent, and more people seek and value altered
states of consciousness. Finally the authors suggest that developments
that seem startling in Sri Lanka are not unprecedented in the religious
history of India.
Product details
- Binding:
Hardcover
- Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
- Language: English
- ISBN-10:
8120807022
- ISBN-13: 9788120807020
-
Author:
Richard Gombrich
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