Buddhist Books and Texts - Research Article from Encyclopedia of Religion

This encyclopedia article consists of approximately 92 pages of information about Buddhist Books and Texts.

Buddhist Books and Texts - Research Article from Encyclopedia of Religion

This encyclopedia article consists of approximately 92 pages of information about Buddhist Books and Texts.
This section contains 3,664 words
(approx. 13 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Buddhist Books and Texts Encyclopedia Article

A written text can be a vehicle for the conveyance of meaning, but it is always also a material object with a physical presence in the world. In many Buddhist communities, the material presence of texts has been viewed as a crucial aspect of their nature and function. Buddhist texts are powerful, and their power is thought to reside not only in their message, but also (and sometimes especially) in the physical embodiment of that message.

The Buddha's Textual Body

The texts that are conceived of as having the greatest potential power and ritual efficacy are those that contain the word of the Buddha (buddhavacana), primarily sūtras or excerpts therefrom. Whereas the profundity of the Buddha's teachings provides one reason for the reverence accorded to such works, their ritual functions rely perhaps more heavily on the notion that they are embodiments...

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This section contains 3,664 words
(approx. 13 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Buddhist Books and Texts Encyclopedia Article
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Macmillan
Buddhist Books and Texts from Macmillan. Copyright © 2001-2006 by Macmillan Reference USA, an imprint of the Gale Group. All rights reserved.