General - Buddhism and Indian background
Buddhism and Indian background
This section comprises books dealing with a variety of issues related to Buddhist Death and Funerals including: the ancient Indian preBuddhist background; early Buddhism; Theravāda; Hindu rites (for comparison); cosmology; giving of merit; giving; Karma; rebirth; etc. Most articles by Schopen are relevant to the topic, but not all are listed individually (check Schopen 1997; Schopen 2004 and Schopen 2005 for individual articles).
- Abegg, E. (1921). Der Pretakalpa des Garuḍa-Purāṇa. Leipzig.
[for comparison with Buddhist practices]
- Agasse, J.-M. (1978). "Le Transfer de mérite dans le Bouddhisme Pali classique." Journal Asiatique 266: 311-332.
- An, Y.-G. (2003). The Buddha's Last Days: Buddhaghosa's Commentary on the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta. Oxford, Pali Text Society.
- Beal, S. (1884). Si-Yu-Ki: Buddhist Records of the Western World: Translated from the Chinese of Hiuen Tsiang (A.D. 629), 2 vols. London, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.
- Bechert, H. (1992). "Buddha-Field and Transfer of Merit in a Theravāda Source." Indo-Iranian Journal 35(2): 95–108.
- Blackburn, A. M. and J. Samuels (2003). Approaching the Dhamma: Buddhist texts and practices in South and Southeast Asia. Seattle, BPS Pariyatti Editions.
- Buddhaghosa, H. C. Warren, et al. (1950). Visuddhimagga of Buddhaghosācariya. Cambridge, Harvard University Press.
[Pali text; see chapter 2 on ascetic practices including rag robe wearing]
- Caland, W. (1896). Die Altindischen Todten- und Bestattungsbräuche. Wiesbaden, Dr. Martin Sändig oHG.
[excellent overview of vedic funeral rites as background for Buddhist practices]
- Cuevas, B. J., J. I. Stone, et al. (2007). The Buddhist Dead: practices, discourses, representations. Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Press
- Dantinne, J. (1991). Les Qualités de l'ascète (Dhutaguṇa). Études sémantique et doctrinale. Bruxelles, Edition Thank-Long.
- Doniger O'Flaherty, W. (1980). Karma and Rebirth in the Vedas and Purāṇas. Karma and Rebirth in Classical Indian Traditions. W. D. O'Flaherty. Berkeley, University of California Press: 3-37
[good for background to Buddhist practices]
- Edgerton, F. (1927). "The Hour of Death." Annals of the Bhandarkar Institute 8: 219-249.
- Endo, T. (1987). Dāna: The Development of Its Concepts and Practice. Colombo, Gunasena
- Findly, E. B. (2003). Dāna : giving and getting in Pali Buddhism. Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
- Freiberger, O. (1998). "The Ideal Sacrifice: Patterns of Reinterpreting Brahmin Sacrifice in Early Buddhism." Bulletin D'Etudes Indiennes 16: 39-49
- Gethin, R. (1992). The Mātikās: Memorization, Mindfulness and the List. The Mirror of Memory: Reflections on Mindfulness and Remembrance in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. J. Gyatso. Albany, State University of New York Press: 149-72
[interesting as background to the chanting of Abhidhamma at funerals]
- Gethin, R. (1997). "Cosmology and Meditation: From the Agañña-Sutta to the Mahāyāna." History of Religions 36(3): 183-217.
- Gethin, R. (2008). Sayings of the Buddha: a selection of suttas from the Pali Nikāyas. Oxford; New York, Oxford University Press.
[see translation of Mahāparinibbānasutta]
- Gethin, R. M. L. (1994). Bhavaṅga and Rebirth According to the Abhidhamma. The Buddhist Forum, Vol. III (1991-1993). T. Skorupski. London: 11-35.
[interesting for background to death moment]
- Ghosh, S. (1989). The Hindu Concept of Life and Death (As Portrayed in Vedas, Brāhmaṇas, Āraṇyakas, ...). New Delhi
[as background to Buddhist practices see chapter IX, X]
- Gifford, J. (2003). Insight guide to Hell: Mahāmoggallāna and Theravāda Buddhist Cosmology. Constituting communities: Theravāda Buddhism and the religious cultures of South and Southeast Asia. J. Holt, J. N. Kinnard and J. S. Walters. Albany, State University of New York Press.
- Gonda, J. (1980). Vedic Ritual: the non-solemn rites. Leiden, E.J. Brill
[interesting as background to Buddhist practices]
- Gyatso, J. (1992). In the Mirror of Memory: reflections on mindfulness and remembrance in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Albany, State University of New York Press.
- Hayashi, T. (1997). "Death and Rebirth in Theravāda Buddhism—Some Problems of Mental Objects." Ronshū 24: 69-89.
- Hayashi, T. (1999). "Preliminary Notes on Merit Transfer in Theravāda Buddhism." Ronshū 26: 29-55.
- Holt, J., J. N. Kinnard, et al. (2003). Constituting Communities: Theravāda Buddhism and the religious cultures of South and Southeast Asia. Albany, State University of New York Press.
- Holt, J. C. (1981). "Assisting the Dead by Venerating the Living: Merit Transfer in the Early Buddhist Tradition." Numen XXVIII: 1-28.
- Horsch, P. (1971). "Vorstufen der indischen Seelenwanderungslehre." Asiatische Studien XXV: 99-157
[interesting as background to Buddhist practices]
- Kalupahana, D. J. (1991). Buddhist Thought and Ritual. New York, Paragon House
[see chapters 9, 10, 11]
- Keyes, C. F. (1983). Merit-Transference in the Kammic Theory of Popular Theravāda Buddhism. Karma: An Anthropological Inquiry. C. F. Keyes, E.V. Daniel. Berkeley, University of California Press.
- Knipe, D. M. (1977). Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa: The Hindu Rite of Entry to Heaven. Religious Encounters with Death, Insights from the History and Anthropology of Religions. F. a. W. Reynolds, Earle H. Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University Press: 111-124.
[interesting as background to Buddhist practices]
- Kyaw, U. B., Masefield, P. (1980). Elucidation of the Intrinsic Meaning so named The Commentary on the Peta-Stories (Paramatthadīpanī nāma Petavatthu-aṭṭhakathā) by Dhammapāla
[see particularly Tirokuḍḍapetavatthu]
- La Fuente, M. (1951). Pirit Nula: Le Fil de Pirit. Paris, Librairie D'Am'erique et D'Orient.
- Law, B. C. (1974). The Buddhist Conception of Spirits. Varanasi, Bhartiya Pub. House.
- Law, B. C. and B. M. Barua (1973). Heaven and hell in Buddhist perspective. Varanasi, Bhartiya Pub. House.
- Legge, J. (1886). A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms. Oxford, Clarendon Press.
[for cremation of an arahant in Sri Lanka see p 107-110]
- Lester, R. C. (1973). Theravāda Buddhism in Southeast Asia. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press.
- Matsunaga, D. and A. Matsunaga (1971). The Buddhist Concept of Hell. New York, Philosophical Library.
- McDaniel, J. T. (2008). Philosophical Embryology: Buddhist Texts and the Ritual Construction of a Fetus. Imagining the fetus: the unborn in myth, religion, and culture. V. R. Sasson, J. M. Law and American Academy of Religion. Oxford; New York, Oxford University Press: 91-107.
- McDermott, J. P. (1980). Karma and Rebirth in Early Buddhism. Karma and Rebirth in Classical Indian Traditions. W. Doniger O'Flaherty. California, University of California Press: 165-192.
- Ñāṇamoli, B. (1956). The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) by Bhadantācariya Buddhaghosa. Colombo, R. Semage.
[see chapter 2 on ascetic practices including rag robe wearing]
- Ñāṇamoli, B. (1997). The Minor Readings (Khuddakapātha) the first book of the minor collection (Khuddakanikāya) and The illustrator of ultimate meaning (Paramatthajotikā); commentary on the minor readings. Oxford, Pali Text Society
[canonical hand book for novices]
- Neufeldt, Ronald W. (1986). Karma and Rebirth: postclassical developments. New York, State University of New York Press.
- Obeyesekere, G. (1980). The Rebirth Eschatology and its Transformations: A Contribution to the Sociology of Early Buddhism. Karma and Rebirth in Classical Indian Traditions. W. Doniger O'Flaherty. California, University of California Press: 137-164.
- Obeyesekere, G., F. Reynolds, et al. (1972). The Two Wheels of Dhamma; essays on the Theravada tradition in India and Ceylon. Chambersburg, Pa., American Academy of Religion.
- Olivelle, P. (2006). Between the Empires: society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE. Oxford; New York, Oxford University Press
[interesting as background to Buddhist practices]
- Palihawadana, M. (1997). Pali Sajjhāya and Sanskrit Svādhyāya: An Inquiry into the Historical Origins of the Parittāna Recitation. Recent Researches in Buddhist Studies: Essays in Honour of Professor Y. Karunadasa. V. K. Anuruddha. Colombo, Y. Karunadasa Felicitation Committee: 493-515.
- Pandey, R. B. (1969). Hindu samskāras; socio-religious study of the Hindu sacraments. Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass
[interesting as background to Buddhist practices; see chapter IX]
- Premasiri, P. D. (1991). Significance of the Ritual Concerning Offerings to Ancestors in Theravada Buddhism. Buddhist thought and ritual. D. J. Kalupahana. New York, Paragon House: 151-158.
- Ray, R. A. (1994). Buddhist Saints in India: a study in Buddhist values and orientations. New York, Oxford University Press
[see chapter 9, pp 293 - 315 on ascetic practices]
- Schmithausen, L. (1986). Critical Response. Karma and Rebirth: Post Classical Developments. R. W. Neufeldt. New York, State University of New York Press: 203-230.
- Schopen, G. (1984). "Filial Piety and the Monk in the Practice of Indian Buddhism: A Question of ‘Sinicization’ Viewed from the Other Side." T’oung Pao 70: 110–26.
- Schopen, G. (1985). "Two Problems in the History of Indian Buddhism: The Layman/Monk Distinction and the Doctrines of the Transference of Merit." Studien Zur Indologie und Iranistik 10: 9–47.
- Schopen, G. (1987). "Burial Ad Sanctos and the Physical Presence of the Buddha in Early Indian Buddhism: A Study in Archeology of Religions." Religion 17: 193-225.
- Schopen, G. (1991). Monks and the Relic Cult in the Mahāparinibbānasutta: An Old Misunderstanding in Regard to Monastic Buddhism. From Benares to Beijing: Essays on Buddhism and Chinese Religions. K. a. S. Shinohara, G. Oakville, Mosaic Press: 187-201.
- Schopen, G. (1995). Death, Funerals, and the Division of Property in a Monastic Code. Buddhism in Practice. D. S. J. Lopez. New Jersey, Princeton University Press: 473-502.
- Schopen, G. (1996). "The Suppression of Nuns and the Ritual Murder of Their Special Dead in Two Buddhist Monastic Codes." Journal of Indian Philosophy 24: 536-592.
- Schopen, G. (1997). Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks: Collected Papers on the Archeology, Epigraphy, and Texts of Monastic Buddhism in India. Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press.
- Schopen, G. (2004). Buddhist Monks and Business Matters: still more papers on monastic Buddhism in India. Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Press.
- Schopen, G. (2004). Immigrant Monks and the Protohistorical Dead: The Buddhist Occupation of Early Burial Sites in India. Buddhist monks and business matters: still more papers on monastic Buddhism in India. G. Schopen. Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Press: 215-238.
- Schopen, G. (2005). Figments and fragments of Mahāyāna Buddhism in India: more collected papers. Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Press.
- Schopen, G. (2006). A Well-sanitized Shroud: asceticism and institutional values in the middle period of Buddhist monasticism. Between the empires: society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE. P. Olivelle. Oxford ; New York, Oxford University Press: 315-348.
[slightly different version of Schopen, G. (2007). Cross-Dressing with the Dead].
- Schopen, G. (2007). Cross-Dressing with the Dead: Asceticism, Ambivalence, and Institutional Values in an Indian Monastic Code. The Buddhist Dead. B. J. Cuevas and J. I. Stone. Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Press: 60-104.
[slightly different version of Schopen, G. (2006). A Well-sanitized Shroud]
- Shinohara, K. and G. Schopen (1991). From Benares to Beijing : essays on Buddhism and Chinese religion in honour of Prof. Jan Yèun-Hua. Oakville [Ont.], Mosaic Press.
- Skilling, P. (1994). The Mahāsutras: Great Discourses of the Buddha. Oxford, Pali Text Society.
- Skilling, P. (1998). "Sources for the Study of the Mangala and Mora Suttas." Journal of the Pali Text Society 24: 185-93.
- Skilling, P. (2002a). "Arādhanā Tham: Invitation to teach the Dhamma." Manusya: Journal of Humanities Special Edition(4): 84-92.
- Skilling, P. and A. Prapod (2002b). "Tripitaka in Practice in the Fourth and Fifth Reigns." Manusya: Journal of Humanities Special Edition(4): 60-72.
- Strong, J. (1995). The Experience of Buddhism: sources and interpretations. Belmont, Calif., Wadsworth Pub. Co.
- Strong, J. (2007). The Buddha's Funeral. The Buddhist Dead: practices, discourses, representations. B. J. Cuevas, J. I. Stone and Kuroda Institute. Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Press: 32-59.
- Swearer, D. K. (1995). The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia. Albany, State University of New York Press.
- Wagle, N. K. (1995). Society at the Time of the Buddha. Bombay, Popular Prakashan.
- Waldschmidt, E. (1934). "Das Paritta." Baessler-Archiv 17: 139-50.
- Waldschmidt, E. (1951). Das Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra: Text in Sanskrit und Tibetisch, verglichen mit dem Pāli nebst einer Übersetzung der chinesischen Entsprechung im Vinaza der Mūlasarvāstivādins. Berlin, Akademie Verlag.
- Wezler, A. (1997). On the Gaining of Merit and the Incurring Demerit Through the Agency of Others: Deeds by Proxy. Lex et Litterae: Studies in Honour of Professor Oscar Botto. S. Lienhard, I. Piovano. Alessandria, Edizioni dell'Orso
[has excellent bibliography on giving of merit]
- Wijayaratna, M. (1990). Buddhist Monastic Life: according to the texts of the Theravāda tradition. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
[particularly chapter on clothing]
- Wilson, L. (1996). Charming Cadavers: horrific figurations of the feminine in Indian Buddhist hagiographic literature. London, University of Chicago Press.
- Wilson, L. (2003). The Living and the Dead: social dimensions of death in South Asian religions. Albany, State University of New York Press.
[particularly chapter 2]
(Back to top)