A Reconsideration of the Issue of Authorship in the Vinaya
When discussing the transmission of the Monastic Codes (Vinaya) that have come down to us, we often opt to speak of their “authors,” implying a sense of agency and intention in the formation of these complex and narrative-laden compositions. This article, focusing in particular on the Mūlasarvāstivā...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Numen
Year: 2025, Volume: 72, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-38 |
| Further subjects: | B
Monasticism
B Buddhism B Intertextuality B tradent B Exegesis B narrative literature |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | When discussing the transmission of the Monastic Codes (Vinaya) that have come down to us, we often opt to speak of their “authors,” implying a sense of agency and intention in the formation of these complex and narrative-laden compositions. This article, focusing in particular on the Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya, offers a reconsideration of these historic agents and possibly their own self-representation. The various Buddhist Monastic Codes were said to be transmitted by proficient “Bearers of the Discipline” – the vinayadharas. Who were the vinayadharas? Did they merely transmit existing utterances, or perhaps fashion and reshape the tradition as authors? In a section of their law code (the Śayanāsanavastu), the vinayadharas of the Mūlasarvāstivādin fraternity describe their role in their own words. By closely reading this description, this article will address the questions above in the hope of contributing to the discussion on issues such as authorship, creativity, and agency in the Buddhist textual tradition. |
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| ISSN: | 1568-5276 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Numen
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685276-07201001 |