Buddha in Sri Lanka: Remembered Yesterdays
This book provides both an erudite and intimate look at how  Buddhism is lived in Sri Lanka. While India is known as the birthplace of  Buddhism, Sri Lanka is its other home; Buddhism extends back over  twenty-five hundred years on the island and remains at the center of its  spiritual traditions and culture.Throughout the book, author Swarna Wickremeratne incorporates a personal  view, sharing stories of herself, her family, friends, and acquaintances as  they "lived Buddhism" both during her Sri Lankan girlhood and during more  recent times. This personal view makes the traditions come alive as  Wickremeratne details Buddhist beliefs, customs, rituals and ceremonies,  and folklore. She also provides a fascinating discussion of the Sangha, the  institutional monkhood in Sri Lanka, including its history, codes of  conduct, and evolution and resilience over time. Wickremeratne explores the  recent attempts by many monks to reinvent themselves in a society  characterized by secularization, globalization, and a tide of aggressive  Christian evangelization."This book offers a lively portrait of Buddhism as it emerges in daily life  in Sri Lanka. Accessible and engaging, it gives readers a great sense of  what lived, popular Buddhism is really like." -- Tracy Pintchman, author of  Guests atGod's Wedding: Celebrating Kartic among the Women of  Benares--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.