Buddhist Hagiography in Early Japan

Images of Compassion in the Gyoki Tradition

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Asia, Japan, Religion & Spirituality, Eastern Religions, Buddhism
Cover of the book Buddhist Hagiography in Early Japan by Jonathan Morris Augustine, Taylor and Francis
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Author: Jonathan Morris Augustine ISBN: 9781134352906
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: October 21, 2004
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Jonathan Morris Augustine
ISBN: 9781134352906
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: October 21, 2004
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Hagiographies or idealized biographies which recount the lives of saints, bodhisattvas and other charismatic figures have been the meeting place for myth and experience. In medieval Europe, the 'lives of saints' were read during liturgical celebrations and the texts themselves were treated as sacred objects. In Japan, it was believed that those who read the biographies of lofty monks would acquire merit. Since hagiographies were written or compiled by 'believers', the line between fantasy and reality was often obscured. This study of the bodhisattva Gyoki - regarded as the monk who started the largest social welfare movement in Japan - illustrates how Japanese Buddhist hagiographers chose to regard a single monk's charitable activities as a miraculous achievement that shaped the course of Japanese history.

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Hagiographies or idealized biographies which recount the lives of saints, bodhisattvas and other charismatic figures have been the meeting place for myth and experience. In medieval Europe, the 'lives of saints' were read during liturgical celebrations and the texts themselves were treated as sacred objects. In Japan, it was believed that those who read the biographies of lofty monks would acquire merit. Since hagiographies were written or compiled by 'believers', the line between fantasy and reality was often obscured. This study of the bodhisattva Gyoki - regarded as the monk who started the largest social welfare movement in Japan - illustrates how Japanese Buddhist hagiographers chose to regard a single monk's charitable activities as a miraculous achievement that shaped the course of Japanese history.

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