Sacred Biography in the Buddhist Traditions of South and South-East Asia

This collection of previously unpublished essays presents a broad range of explorations into the biographical genre of the Buddhist traditions of South and Southeast Asia. Each contribution examines sacred biography in one or more representational modalities in the texts, art history, literature, myths, rituals and cultures of the Buddhist tradition. Scholars in the history of religions, anthropology, literature and art history present a broad range of explorations into sacred biography as an interpretive genre. The essays investigate both universal and local articulations of Buddhist sacred biography, illustrating the construction of interpretive frames of reference that map salient themes onto diverse contexts. The combination of thematic depth and theoretical sophistication in __Sacred Biography__ makes this volume innovative reading for all scholars with comparative interests.

One of the most important and popular premodern Korean novels, The Story of Hong Gildong is a fast-paced adventure story about the illegitimate son of a nobleman who becomes the leader of a band of honest outlaws who take from the rich and punish the corrupt. Despite the importance of the work to Korean culture, studies of the novel have been hindered by a number of myths, namely that it was authored in the early sixteenth century by statesman Heo Gyun, who wrote it not only in protest of Joseon-dynasty laws on the rights of illegitimate children, but also as a manifesto of his own radical political ideas.

In the book, Minsoo Kang reveals that The Story of Hong Gildong was most likely written by an anonymous writer whose primary concern was appealing to the increasing number of readers in the late Joseon looking to be entertained and that the myth of Heo's authorship can be traced to the writing of literary scholar Kim Taejun in the 1930s. Following a detailed examination of the history and literary significance of the novel, Kang surveys the many afterlives of the hero Hong Gildong, who throughout the decades has appeared and reappeared in countless revisionist novels, films, television dramas, and comics, even inspiring the creation of a Hong Gildong theme park in South Korea. He shows how the story was altered, distorted, and reinvigorated during and after the Japanese colonial period in both the North and the South for political, social, and literary purposes. While demonstrating the continued relevance of the novel and its hero in Korean culture up to the present day, Kang makes it clear that such narratives have served mostly to distance readers from a better understanding of this classic work.

Contents Preface Trajectories in Buddhist Sacred Biography Buddha Biography in Textual and Visual Narratives Rebirth Traditions and the Lineages of Gotama: A Study in Theravāda Buddhology The Biographical Imperative in Theravāda Buddhism Narrative as Icon: The Jātaka Stories in Ancient Indian and Southeast Asian Architecture Extensions of the Buddha Biography in Texts A Family Quest: The Buddha, Yaśodharā, and Rāhula in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya Nāgārjuna’s Longevity Stūpa, Story, and Empire: Constructions of the Buddha Biography in Early Post-Aśokan India The Jātakas and Biographies of Kings Painting the “Great Life” From Prose to Poetry: The Literary Development of Samuttakote “Rationality” in the Biography of a Buddhist King: Mongkut, King of Siam (r.1851–1868) The Biographical Genre in Local Buddhist Cults and Practice In the Presence of the Buddha: Ritual Veneration of the Burmese Mahāmuni Image The Textualization of a Monastic Tradition: Forest Monks, Lineage, and the Biographical Process in Thailand The Biography of Modern Burmese Buddhist Meditation Master U Ba Khin: Life before the Cradle and past the Grave Index About the Contributors