Precarious Balance - (Studies in Religion and Culture) by Bardwell L Smith (Paperback)

About the Book

"This book explores the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka from one of its earliest kings to its present-day conflicts"--

Book Synopsis

Since the third century BCE, when the king of Sri Lanka converted to Buddhism, the island nation off the southern coast of India has represented a central interest of Buddhist scholarship. The association between its politics and religious life has not always remained harmonious, however, and has contributed to the contemporary turmoil that threatens to tear it apart. In this valuable book, renowned religious scholar Bardwell Smith elucidates the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka from the time of one of its earliest rulers through to its present-day strife.

The essays collected here for the first time explore various themes of Sri Lanka's long history in novel and constructive ways. Topics include Sinhala Buddhists' sense of manifest destiny arising from Sri Lanka's oldest historical chronicles, the Mahavamsa and the Dipavamsa; the nationalist implications of the chronicles' depiction of the third-century Mahavihara monastery as the site of "original Buddhism"; and concepts of order and legitimation of power in ancient Ceylon. With a new introduction and final chapter, Smith sheds fresh light on today's Sri Lanka, connecting historical studies with contemporary issues.

Review Quotes

Holds tremendous value for scholars of Theravāda Buddhist history and those of Sri Lanka more generally by gathering together some of the most important contributions by one of the field's defining voices into a volume that celebrates his lifelong commitment to pluralism, tolerance, and reconciliation while scrutinizing the reasons these have been and continue to be difficult to sustain.-- "Reading Religion" (12/17/2024 12:00:00 AM)

This volume draws together important writings by Professor Bardwell Smith, whose contributions to the study of Lankan political thought and practice have been formative for several fields. Smith's work helped generations of scholars to engage textual evidence from Sri Lanka, with an eye on wider South Asian contexts as well as to comparative studies in the history and sociology of religion. ​Many will benefit from access to this collection.

--Anne M. Blackburn, Cornell University, author of Locations of Buddhism: Colonialism and Modernity in Sri Lanka

About the Author

Bardwell L. Smith was John W. Nason Professor of Religion and Asian StudiesEmeritus at Carleton College and the author of Narratives of Sorrow and Dignity: Japanese Women, Pregnancy Loss, and Modern Rituals of Grieving.