Holy things: the genealogy of the sacred in Thai religion
"Scholars of religion have increasingly rejected the model of religious syncretism, in which apparent deviations from normative practice are explained as the result of a mixture of religions. Nevertheless, there are aspects of Thai Buddhist practice that still stubbornly appear syncretistic, su...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Subito Delivery Service: | Order now. |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| WorldCat: | WorldCat |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
New York, NY
Oxford University Press
[2024]
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| In: | Year: 2024 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Thailand
/ Buddhism
/ Sacred object
/ Religious life
/ History
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| IxTheo Classification: | AG Religious life; material religion BK Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism BL Buddhism KBM Asia TA History |
| Further subjects: | B
Thailand
Religion
B Syncretism (Religion) B Buddhism (Thailand) History B Buddhism Social aspects (Thailand) B Thailand Social life and customs |
| Online Access: |
Table of Contents Blurb Literaturverzeichnis |
| Summary: | "Scholars of religion have increasingly rejected the model of religious syncretism, in which apparent deviations from normative practice are explained as the result of a mixture of religions. Nevertheless, there are aspects of Thai Buddhist practice that still stubbornly appear syncretistic, such as the worship of particular Buddha images for mundane boons in the same way as gods and spirits. Moreover, increasingly Thai Buddhists themselves are adopting the language of syncretism, referring to traditional Thai religion as a mixture of local, Hindu, and Buddhist practices. This raises the question: If syncretism is so wrong, then why does it seem so right? Holy Things answers this question through an in-depth study of the worship of spirits, gods, and Buddha images-all known as sing saksit, or "holy things"-in Thailand. It shows that what appears to be syncretism is actually an illusion created by an array of historically transforming and interacting discourses: Pali Buddhist, Sanskritic Hindu, and the modern discourse of religion. Holy Things thus explains not only why a stubborn case of apparent syncretism is actually not so, but also why syncretism seems so appealing in the first place"-- |
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| Item Description: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-263) and index |
| Physical Description: | xvii, 269 Seiten, Illustrationen, 25 cm |
| ISBN: | 978-0-19-775988-2 978-0-19-775991-2 |
