Description
Explores the economic and financial aspects, debates and dilemmas of Buddhist temples and practitioners in contemporary Asia, dispelling the popular romantic notion of Buddhist monks.
About the Author
Christoph Brumann is Head of Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle, and Honorary Professor of Anthropology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Saskia Abrahms-Kavunenko is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Beata Switek is Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Reviews
Monks, Money, and Morality provides intimate cases studies from around the Buddhist world to show the complex consideration of money and ethics that monks must negotiate for their temples to survive. It offers insights into the way in which national politics and economics affect the practicalities of those seeking to pursue a monastic life. This eye-opening study will change perceptions of Buddhism and understandings of the role of monks in their communities. * Kate Crosby, Professor of Buddhist Studies, King's College London, UK *
At the heart of Buddhism stands the relationship between monastics and laypeople. These diverse and fascinating case studies, with their sophisticated ethnographic analyses, demonstrate that what is often thought of as an asymmetrical and hierarchical symbiosis is, in actually existing Buddhism, far more complex, far more variable, and far more interesting than that. * David N. Gellner, Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Oxford, UK *
The book is very much about the dilemmas that a religious tradition faces when it comes to issues of money, exchange and incorporation into the capitalist economy ... a very rich collection of studies. -- Jovan Maud * Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology *
Book Information
ISBN 9781350213760
Author Christoph Brumann
Format Paperback
Page Count 264
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 412g