The Possibility of a Postcolonial Buddhist Ethic of Wealth

Anderson, Carol S.

doi:10.1353/bcs.2013.0013

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…51 In Sri Lanka, it is custom to carry small coins to give to a beggar as a show of compassion. 52 Obeyesekere further notes also that Theravada Buddhists believe that rejoicing in the good work of another is valuable because that act of recognizing meritorious behavior creates merit for the one who rejoices even if she has not made an offering herself. 53 Ignoring the ethical sentiments of local practitioners or reworking these acts to fit into a transactional and capitalist schema does not capture the complexity of gifts and ghosts in Theravada culture.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gifts and Ghosts: A Derridean Reading of Theravada Communities

Yeng

2019

JFFP

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Because Europeans have shaped scholarly discourse about Southeast Asia and Buddhism, movement away from understanding “pure” Theravada Buddhism through religious and philosophical doctrine was a technique to decenter Western readings and shows how practitioners shaped their own beliefs. Stanley Tambiah called for academics to pay more attention to common beliefs of laypeople and everyday practices of monks. This, in turn, placed anthropologists at the center of collecting knowledge about Theravada Buddhism. Yet French philosophers continued, through their theories, to influence the structure of anthropological analysis of Theravada cultures, particular through gift exchanges. In this paper, I will explore ways Derrida’s theories of gifts and ghosts can add to anthropological studies of Southeast Asian communities while also helping to recover philosophical and ethical components of Theravada practices.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%