Champions of Buddhism
Weikza Cults in Contemporary Burma
9789971697808
Distributed for National University of Singapore Press
Champions of Buddhism
Weikza Cults in Contemporary Burma
Hidden at the margins of Burmese Buddhism and culture, the cults of the weikza shape Burmese culture by bringing together practices of supernatural power and a mission to protect Buddhism. This exciting new research on an often hidden aspect of Burmese religion places weikza in relation to the Vipassana insight meditation movement and conventional Buddhist practices, as well as the contemporary rise of Buddhist fundamentalism. Featuring research based on fieldwork only possible in recent years, paired with reflective essays by senior Buddhist studies scholars, this book situates the weikza cult in relation to broader Buddhist and Southeast Asian contexts, offering interpretations and investigations as rich and diverse as the Burmese expressions of the weikza cults themselves. Champions of Buddhism opens the field to new questions, new problems, and new connections with the study of religion and Southeast Asia in general.
292 pages | 6 x 9 | © 2014
Asian Studies: Southeast Asia and Australia
Religion: Religion and Society, South and East Asian Religions
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