Literature, Performance, and Loving the Buddha in the Avadanasataka
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This paper presents three literary strategies used in the portrayal of the Buddha in the Avadanasataka and asks what they tell us about the text, the Buddha, and the ways in which we as scholars should approach Buddhist literature. Through formulaic passages, audience responses, and glimpses of humanity counterbalancing the glories of the superhuman Buddha, this particular text offers a literary Buddha that is transformative for those he encounters both inside and outside the text. As such, this literary Buddha raises questions about the interface between literary creativity and Buddhist textual practice.
Source: Buddhist Studies Review
DOI: 10.1558/bsrv.33095
Author: Naomi Appleton
Institution: University of Edinburgh
Language: English
Topic: Indian and Buddhist Studies
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4408427389