Living with the Vinaya

An Ethnography of Monasticism in Myanmar

Ryosuke Kuramoto, Mark Michael Rowe

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English

University of Hawai'i Press
30 November 2024

Asian history; Buddhist life & practice; Social & cultural anthropology

Series: Contemporary Buddhism

Around the first century BCE, Buddhist monks formed monasteries and established relationships with kings and lay people. The rules monks live by, the Vinaya, are a pivotal source of meaning for them and their dealings with society and form the basis of multiple monasticisms across geographical regions and throughout history. The ways in which the Vinaya is understood and practiced, therefore, must take into account the kind of monasticism that emerges from it. In Living with the Vinaya, Ryosuke Kuramoto examines the process of creating monasticism in contemporary Myanmar by focusing on how monks acquire, possess, and consume material goods.

To live as a monk means to obtain resources from society and to own and use these according to monastic rules. Over the centuries, as monks interacted more with the world beyond the monastery, the question of what a monk """"should be"""" became a concern for not only monks, but also government authorities and lay people. How monks interpreted and observed the Vinaya became a question of legitimacy and power. Kuramoto’s ethnographic analysis reveals the constant (re)creation of monasticism in Myanmar resulting from the interactions between monks and these groups in response to this question. He identifies some of the key mechanisms by which monasticism and broader Buddhist institutions are created and transformed and concludes that monastic governance is inseparable from the Buddhist state and the society that surrounds it.

By: Ryosuke Kuramoto, Mark Michael Rowe
Imprint: University of Hawai'i Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9780824897550
ISBN 10: 0824897552
Series: Contemporary Buddhism
Pages: 277
Publication Date: 30 November 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ryosuke Kuramoto is associate professor of cultural anthropology at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo.

Reviews for Living with the Vinaya: An Ethnography of Monasticism in Myanmar

Living with the Vinaya is an exceptionally strong book that will set a standard for ethnography of Theravada monasticism. It is an insightful exploration of issues of monastic governance and how the support of monks shapes Burmese society as a whole.--Alicia Turner, York University