Buddhist councils in a time of transition: globalism, modernity and the preservation of textual traditions

Contemporary Buddhism 14 (1):38-51 (2013)
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Abstract

This article looks at what is genuinely new in the Buddhist transnationalism of the modern period. It examines the history of Buddhist councils and synods from the early gatherings after the demise of the Buddha to the Buddhist World Council in the twentieth century. These often international events followed a role-model, defined by the first three councils, of creating and handing down an authoritative version of the Buddha's teachings (dhamma) while they could also lead to a ?purification? of the monks' order (sangha) if monks sticking to divergent textual traditions were expelled from the sangha. Despite their importance, however, councils have received rather little attention in scholarly literature. This article takes a fresh look at Buddhist synods with a focus on those convened since the mid-nineteenth century. It explores how the latter sought to comply with inherited forms and functions, while at the same time becoming innovative in order to adapt Buddhism to its modern environment

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References found in this work

Religion and Politics in Burma.Josef Silverstein & Donald Eugene Smith - 1968 - Journal of the American Oriental Society 88 (3):652.
Der Buddhistische Kanon: Eine Bibliographie.James P. McDermott, Günter Grönbald & Gunter Gronbald - 1985 - Journal of the American Oriental Society 105 (4):815.
The Inception of Discipline and the Vinaya Nidana.André Bareau, N. A. Jayawickrama & Andre Bareau - 1963 - Journal of the American Oriental Society 83 (2):258.
Les premiers conciles bouddhiques.A. Bareau - 1956 - Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie 18 (4):686-687.

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