Burning for the Buddha: Self-Immolation in Chinese Buddhism

Kuroda Studies in East Asian Buddhism

by James A. Benn

Burning for the Buddha is the first book-length study of the theory and practice of abandoning the body (self-immolation) in Chinese Buddhism. It examines the hagiographical accounts of all those who made offerings of their own bodies and places them in historical, social, cultural, and doctrinal context. Rather than privilege the doctrinal and exegetical interpretations of the tradition, which assume the central importance of the mind and its cultivation, James Benn focuses on the ways in which the heroic ideals of the bodhisattva present in scriptural materials such as the Lotus Sutra played out in the realm of religious practice on the ground.

Genres: Religion, Buddhism, Nonfiction, History, China

376 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

Professor James Alexander Benn is Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at McMaster University, where he teaches Buddhism and East Asian Religions while focusing his research on medieval Chinese religions.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magisterial translation and literary analysis of scriptural precedents and biographical accounts for the practices of self-immolation. Useful appendices and footnotes, if you're into that sort of thing...