Guardian of a Dying Flame: Śāriputra (c. 1335–1426) and the End of Late Indian Buddhism (Harvard Oriental Series) - Hardcover

McKeown, Arthur

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674984358 ISBN 13: 9780674984356

Publisher: Harvard University Department of South Asian Studies, 2019

Synopsis

Arthur McKeown presents the first full-length analysis of the continuation of Buddhism in India after the thirteenth century. This study describes later Indian Buddhism through a detailed examination of the life of Śāriputra (c. 1335–1426), the last known abbot of the Bodhgayā Mahāvihāra, whose very presence extends Indian Buddhism by two centuries. This work also provides a view into the legacy of Indian Buddhism in fifteenth-century Nepal, Tibet, and China. McKeown follows Śāriputra’s travels and works throughout pan-Buddhist Asia, from restoring the Swayambhunātha caitya in Nepal and establishing tantric lineages in Tibet to overseeing the rebuilding of the Mahābodhi temple in Ming Dynasty Beijing.

McKeown centers his examination on newly revealed Tibetan and Chinese biographies of Śāriputra, as well as looking at a collection of historical documents in Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese. These sources point to a fundamental reconsideration of later Indian Buddhism, its relationship with Brahmanism and Islam, and its enduring importance throughout Central, East, and Southeast Asia.

About this title

About the Author

Arthur McKeown is Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at Carleton College, Minnesota.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard University Department of South Asian Studies
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674984358
• ISBN 13: 9780674984356
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 480