Reiko Ohnuma offers a wide-ranging exploration of the complex role of maternal imagery and discourse in pre-modern South Asian Buddhism. Motherhood was sometimes extolled as the most appropriate symbol for buddhahood itself; and sometimes denigrated as the most paradigmatic manifestation of attachment and suffering. In Buddhist literature; feelings of love and gratitude for the mother's nurturance frequently mingle with submerged feelings of hostility and resentment for the unbreakable obligations thus created; and positive images of self-sacrificing mothers are counterbalanced by horrific depictions of mothers who kill and devour. Institutionally; the formal definition of the Buddhist renunciant as one who has severed all familial ties seems to co-exist uneasily with an abundance of historical evidence demonstrating monks' and nuns' continuing concern for their mothers; as well as other familial entanglements. Ohnuma's study provides critical insight into Buddhist depictions of maternal love and grief; the role of the Buddha's own mothers; Maya and Mahaprajapata; the use of pregnancy and gestation as metaphors for the attainment of enlightenment; the use of breastfeeding as a metaphor for the compassionate deeds of buddhas and bodhisattvas; and the relationship between Buddhism and motherhood as it actually existed in day-to-day life.
#441092 in Books 2014-09-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.40 x 1.10 x 9.20l; .0 #File Name: 0199843112328 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Compelling StudyBy GregOverall; this is a solid study. As a believer in hell; it was refreshing to find a study that doesn't try to dismiss the belief. Professor Gin Lum largely lets the historical evidence speak for itself.One portion of the book that is especially compelling is the section dealing with the psychological impact of belief in hell. She notes that in being warned of hell; people “were not to act on their despair but to throw themselves on God's mercy for salvation; [but] some were unable to safely navigate the movement from anxiety to assurance†and suffered “mental breakdowns and successful or attempted suicides.â€Today; although it rarely seems to manifest itself in mental illness; the difficulty in navigating a course to the assurance of salvation remains an ongoing problem within Christianity. Belief in hell remains a formal belief in evangelical churches; but it is largely an unspoken belief; likely because of the anxiety associated with it. This is sad. Hell must be honestly faced. After facing it though; as Peter Kreeft has noted; we must look to what Christ taught about hell and our salvation from it for assurance; not to our own doubts and anxieties.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Over-reliance on quotes from old church bulletins (with the best of scholarly intentions) makes it a slog in placesBy Kevin BrannonInteresting perspective on one of the belief systems that has always seemed weird and oddly very American to me. Over-reliance on quotes from old church bulletins (with the best of scholarly intentions) makes it a slog in places.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy David E. LongacreJust finished reading this thoughtful and well documented book. I found the information clearly explained in understandable language.
