Buddhism and Law
An Introduction

This volume challenges the concept of Buddhism as an apolitical religion without implications for law.

Rebecca Redwood French (Edited by), Mark A. Nathan (Edited by)

9780521515795, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 July 2014

407 pages, 4 b/w illus. 7 maps
23.5 x 15.6 x 2.8 cm, 0.78 kg

As the first comprehensive study of Buddhism and law in Asia, this interdisciplinary volume challenges the concept of Buddhism as an apolitical religion without implications for law. Buddhism and Law draws on the expertise of the foremost scholars in Buddhist studies and in law to trace the legal aspects of the religion from the time of the Buddha to the present. In some cases, Buddhism provided the crucial architecture for legal ideologies and secular law codes, while in other cases it had to contend with a pre-existing legal system, to which it added a new layer of complexity. The wide-ranging studies in this book reveal a diversity of relationships between Buddhist monastic codes and secular legal systems in terms of substantive rules, factoring, and ritual practices. This volume will be an essential resource for all students and teachers in Buddhist studies, law and religion, and comparative law.

Introducing Buddhism and law Rebecca Redwood French and Mark A. Nathan
Part I. The Roots of Buddhism and Law in India: 1. Society at the time of the Buddha Kumkum Roy
2. What the Vinayas can tell us about law Petra Kieffer-Pülz
3. Keeping the Buddha's rules: the view from the S?tra Piaka Rupert Gethin
4. Proper possessions: Buddhist attitudes toward material property Jacob N. Kinnard
5. On the legal and economic activities of Buddhist nuns: two examples from early India Gregory Schopen
Part II. Buddhism and Law in South and Southeast Asia: 6. Buddhism and law in Sri Lanka Sunil Goonasekera
7. Flanked by images of our Buddha: community, law, and religion in a premodern Buddhist context Jonathan S. Walters
8. The legal regulation of Buddhism in contemporary Sri Lanka Benjamin Schonthal
9. P?li Buddhist law in Southeast Asia Andrew Huxley
10. Genres and jurisdictions: laws governing monastic inheritance in seventeenth-century Burma Christian Lammerts
Part III. Buddhism and Law in East Asia: 11. Buddhism and law in China: the emergence of distinctive patterns in Chinese history T. H. Barrett
12. The ownership and theft of monastic land in Ming China Timothy Brook
13. Buddhism and law in China: Qing Dynasty to the present Anthony Dicks
14. Buddhism and law in Korean history: from parallel transmission to institutional divergence Mark A. Nathan
15. Buddhism and law in Japan Brian Ruppert
16. Relic theft in medieval Japan Bernard Faure
Part IV. Buddhism and Law in North Asia and the Himalayan Region: 17. Buddhism and law in Tibet Rebecca Redwood French
18. Buddhist laws in Mongolia Vesna A. Wallace
19. Karma, monastic law, and gender justice Karma Lekshe Tsomo
20. Buddhism and constitutions in Bhutan Richard W. Whitecross.

Subject Areas: Law [L], Black & Asian studies [JFSL3], Buddhist life & practice [HREP], Buddhism [HRE]