Predominantly on Sri Lanka.

Modernizing and colonizing forces brought nineteenth-century Sri Lankan Buddhists both challenges and opportunities. How did Buddhists deal with social and economic change; new forms of political, religious, and educational discourse; and Christianity? And how did Sri Lankan Buddhists, collaborating with other Asian Buddhists, respond to colonial rule? To answer these questions, Anne M. Blackburn focuses on the life of leading monk and educator Hikkaduve Sumangala (1827–1911) to examine more broadly Buddhist life under foreign rule. In Locations of Buddhism, Blackburn reveals that during Sri Lanka’s crucial decades of deepening colonial control and modernization, there was a surprising stability in the central religious activities of Hikkaduve and the Buddhists among whom he worked. At the same time, they developed new institutions and forms of association, drawing on pre-colonial intellectual heritage as well as colonial-period technologies and discourse. Advocating a new way of studying the impact of colonialism on colonized societies, Blackburn is particularly attuned here to human experience, paying attention to the habits of thought and modes of affiliation that characterized individuals and smaller scale groups. Locations of Buddhism is a wholly original contribution to the study of Sri Lanka and the history of Buddhism more generally.

The Work of Kings is a stunning new look at the turbulent modern history and sociology of the Sri Lankan Buddhist Monkhood and its effects upon contemporary society. Using never-before translated Sinhalese documents and extensive interviews with monks, Sri Lankan anthropologist H.L. Seneviratne unravels the inner workings of this New Buddhism and the ideology on which it is based. Beginning with Anagarika Dharmapala's "rationalization" of Buddhism in the early twentieth century, which called for monks to take on a more activist role in the community, Seneviratne shows how the monks have gradually revised their role to include involvement in political and economic spheres. The altruistic, morally pure monks of Dharamapala's dreams have become, Seneviratne trenchantly argues, self-centered and arrogant, concealing self-aggrandizement behind a façade of "social service." A compelling call for reform and a forceful analysis, The Work of Kings is essential to anthropologists, historians of religion, and those interested in colonialism, nationalism, and postcolonial politics.

In 1956, Theravada Buddhists in Sri Lanka and throughout Southeast Asia celebrated the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha`s entry into Nirvana and of the establishment of the Buddhist tradition. This book examines this revival of Theravada Buddhism among the laity of Sri Lanka, analysing its origins and its growth up to the present-day. Within the spectrum of reinterpretations that have comprised the revival, the book focuses on four important types or patterns of reinterpretation and response. It examines the rational reformism of the early Protestant Buddhists led by Anagarika Dharmapala and the conservative neotraditionalism of the Jayanti period.Particular attention is given to two of the most recent and dynamic reforms, the insight meditation movement, breaking with tradition, has opened the path of meditation to lay people, enabling them to seek Nirvana without renouncing the world. The sarvodaya Shramadana movement has addressed the social context, reinterpreting the Buddhist heritage to derive authentic forms of Buddhist social development. Comprising this series of interpretations and options for lay Buddhists, the Buddhist revival represents a new gradual path to Nirvana.

Sri Lanka is a beautiful teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean. It is a country based on the Buddha's philosophy nurtured for more than 2,600 years. The message of the Buddha's compassion and wisdom penetrated deep into the Sinhalese island. The spiritual practice of precepts-samadhi-wisdom as taught by the Buddha is an indispensable part of the daily life of Sri Lankans. Looking at the past, especially during the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries, the ancient Sinhala culture and Buddhist monks were influenced by Western countries. How did the Sri Lankan Sangha find a solution to adopt the conceptual modernization and still keep their traditions in Sri Lankan Buddhist society? How did the Sri Lanka Buddhist monks use their means, efforts, and contributions for the sake of this cause? These historical points serve as a compelling invitation to welcome international monastics and scholars from various nations who wish to visit and immerse themselves in this rich cultural heritage. Under the warm sunlight of July 16, 2023, on the beautiful grounds of the Sri Lanka Vidyala Maha Piriven in Colombo, Sri Lanka, there were many bright golden robes of Asian monastics from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Burma, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. They were gathered to participate, learn and experience this Sri Lanka historical high mark, a seminar on "Buddhism in Sri Lanka during the Period of the Nineteenth to Twenty-first Centuries." It was organized by the Maha Mahinda International Dharmadutha Society with the collaboration and sponsorship of Huong Sen Buddhist Temple, California, USA. At this seminar, many learned monastics, speakers, delegates, spiritual leaders, and researchers presented their meaningful papers to shine light on this matter for listeners and readers. They were Prof. Ven. Medagama Nandawansa Thera (Patron, Maha Mahinda International Dharmadutha Society and Chief Incumbent of Sri Lanka Vidyalaya Maha Pirivena), Dr. Ven. Kahawatte Siri Sumedha (Chief Incumbent of Jambudvipa, Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple, Varanasi, India), Mr. Sanath Ediriweera (Chairman, Public Service Commission and the Honorable Secretary of the Maha Mahinda International Dharmadutha Society), Ven. Prof. Beligalle Dhammajoti (Professor at the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Ruhuna), Ven. Taldena Ariyawimala and Dr. A.A.R. Priyanka (Senior Lecturers of the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Ruhuna), the talented MC, Ven. Prof. Raluwe Padmasiri (Professor at the Department of Buddhist Thought, Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Kelaniya), Ven. Sooriyawewe Somananda Thera (the Principal of the Sri Lanka Vidyala Maha Pirivena), Ven. Ketagoda Wimalajothi Thera (Deputy Principal, Sri Lanka Vidyalaya Maha Pirivena), Ven. Bhikkhuni Madulle Vijithananda (Abbess of Sakyadhita Training and Meditation Center), Dr. Ven. Bhiksuni Gioi Huong (Lecturer at Vietnam Buddhist University in HCM City and Abbess, Huong Sen Buddhist Temple, California, USA), Rev. O.U. Dhammadheera, Ms. M. D. Sachini Hansika Chandrapala, Mr. Anuda Kanchana, and Mrs. K.V.J. Koshalee (Lecturer at the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Ruhuna). These papers are rich in knowledge, analysis, and information on Sri Lankan Buddhist history with specific focus on the period of the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries. They have been gathered together and are slated for publication in a book, which will serve as a valuable and dependable resource for academic studies and research. Huong Sen Buddhist Temple, September 30, 2023 With Metta, The Editorial Board

This inderdisciplinary inquiry seeks to uncover how Buddhism was expressed during the waning years of indigenous political power in Asia's oldest continuing Buddhist culture. It focuses on King Kirti Sri Rajasinha and how he successfully revised Sinhalese Theravada Buddhism.