Referierender

Stephen C. Berkwitz (Springfield)

Vortragstitel

The Contingencies and Processes of Buddhist Manuscripts from Sri Lanka

Abstract

The study of the Theravada Buddhist tradition in Sri Lanka has often revolved around its ancient canonical scriptures preserved in the Pali language from as early as 20 BCE. This tradition’s closed canon and conservative attitude toward what constitutes the teaching (Dharma) of the Buddha has encouraged scholarship that sometimes takes texts to be stable repositories of ancient teachings, a view that mimics the idealistic self-portrayal of this Buddhist school. A closer look at the material forms of palm-leaf manuscripts from Sri Lanka,  however,  reveals  that  such  texts  were  impermanent  and  variable  sources  of Buddhist knowledge. This paper will discuss the highly contingent, mutable nature of Sri Lankan  Buddhist  manuscripts,  arguing  that  the  often  ad  hoc  character  of  modern manuscript collections can yield insights into how such texts were encountered and read in premodern times. By considering the materiality of palm leaf manuscripts as integral to how  they  were  used  and  understood,  I  will  argue  that  an  interpretation  of  texts as “processes” and “events” rather than stable semantic codes bestowed by authors adds to our understanding of how they functioned in premodern Sri Lanka.