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THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA IN ART AND NARRATIVE
New York University SPRING 2020
Class Time: TUES/THURS 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
Location: NYU TBD
Course Instructor: Dessi Vendova
Email: d.vendova@columbia.edu
Office Hours: TBD, and by appointment.
Schist slab showing one of the Buddha's previous lives as King Sibi sacrificing
himself to save the life of a dove, Gandhara, 2nd-3rd C. AD.
The British Museum, London.
Course Description:
The story of the life of the Buddha is one of the most important religious narratives
with far-reaching influences which has remained important and well-known in all
Buddhist traditions across different regions for more than 2200 years. Together with
the biographical account of Buddha’s last existence as prince Siddhartha, the Buddhist
tradition also celebrates the stories of many of his prior existences recounted in
previous lives stories known as jātakas. Those biographical narratives are also at the
front and center and the main subject of the earliest Buddhist art and their importance
for the Buddhist visual and storytelling tradition and their lasting popularity even until
today are uncontested and without parallel.
This course will be especially interesting to both students interested in Buddhist art as
well as to students interested in the literature of Buddhist narratives and stories. The
materials discussed in the course will be centered on both the narrative of the
Buddha’s final life as Shakyamuni and also stories of his prior existences, examining
both visual and textual examples from India, Central Asia and China between 2 BCE
to around 5-6 c CE with visual examples from famous Buddhist sites such as Sanchi,
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Bharhut, Ajanta, Kucha Kizil Caves, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes,
etc.
Through a wide variety of different readings of Buddhist primary texts in translation
(canonical and narrative) and iconographic sources, and also complementary
secondary works discussing them, employing an interdisciplinary approach we will
attempt to explore comparative perspectives, ideas, and approaches concerning a
number of issues related to Buddhist narratives. Among the questions and topics that
will be examined are the role of visual narratives at Buddhist sites such as stupas and
cave temples; different modes of visual narration; the puzzling question of the
absence of anthropomorphic representation of the Buddha in early Indian Buddhist
narrative art; the ideal body of the Buddha; stories of previous existences of the
Buddha as an animal and animals in the Buddha’s life.
Each class will consist of the instructor’s presentation complemented by visual
material. There will be at least one scheduled museum group visit to The Metropolitan
Museum of Art during the weekend of Week 8 or 9 or at another suitable time for all.
Note: Familiarity with the story of the life of the Buddha is a must and students should read
one of the versions of the Buddhacarita (or Acts of the Buddha by Ashvaghosha) any
edition, but preferably at least the longer one translated from Chinese, as early in the
beginning of the course as possible.
Students with no prior formal background in studying Buddhism are strongly
encouraged to acquire a basic level of familiarity with it by (skim) reading either Peter
Harvey, An Introduction to Buddhism (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990)
or Rupert Gethin’s The Foundations of Buddhism. Oxford University Press, 1998.
Course objectives: Students in this course will come away from it with
(1) an understanding of the history, literature, art, culture, and ideas related to
Buddhist narratives and specifically the stories about the previous lives of the Buddha
and his final life’s ‘biography’;
(2) an introduction to the problems encountered in studying Buddhism due to
remoteness in time and uncertainty of sources’ dating and authorship;
(3) the ability to think reflexively, comparatively, critically and with complexity about
visual narratives and stories in Buddhism;
(4) an appreciation of the religious diversity and complexity of the Buddhist tradition;
(5) the ability to read and analyse primary textual and visual sources and be able to
evaluate some of their meanings and significance;
(6) the ability to develop critical questions about the visual and reading materials for
the class to discuss;
(7) gain a deeper knowledge of one aspect of the subject matter of the course, gained
through the opportunity to research and write a final paper.
Course Readings: Access to the readings is key to this class. It is important that students bring the
assigned readings to class each time.
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All required readings will be listed for each corresponding week and the students
should read and prepare to discuss them in advance before the corresponding class
meeting. Reading from the primary required books are listed in bold.
In addition, there will be recommended (but not required) further readings marked by
asterisk (*) listed for the corresponding week after the required readings. An
additional list of generally further recommended titles will also be provided.
Documentary FILMS:
• Story of The Buddha's Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDgd8LT9AL4
• BBC Seven Wonders of the Buddhist World with Bettany Hughes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiEADtRLQfs
• The Boy with Divine Powers (Documentary) https://youtu.be/nG5FqQKrrHI
• Nepal: Little Buddha, the return – Documentary
https://youtu.be/eDho1Y8MekE
Required Books:
➢ Strong, John S. The Buddha: A Beginner's Guide. Oneworld
Publications, 2009. (Also available as: Strong, John S. The Buddha: a
short biography. Oneworld Publications, 2001.)
➢ Olivelle, Patrick transl.. The Life of the Buddha (Buddhacarita) by
Ashvaghosha. (Clay Sanskrit Library). New York University Press, 2009.
(Sanskrit version)
➢ Willemen, Charles, transl., Buddhacarita: In Praise of Buddha's Acts
by Asvaghosa (translated from the Chinese, Taisho volume 4, number
192), Berkeley, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.
2009. (Chinese version of the Buddhacarita)
➢ Meiland, Justin transl.. Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives (Jatakamala)
by Aryashura. (Clay Sanskrit Library). Vols. 1 and 2. NYU Press, 2009.
Books to be consulted throughout:
➢ Davids, Thomas William Rhys. Buddhist Birth-stories (Jataka Tales):
The Commentarial Introduction Entitled Nidāna-kātha, the Story of
the Lineage. Asian Educational Services, 1999.
➢ The Mahāvastu, Translated from the Buddhist Sanskrit By J. J. Jones,
Sacred books of the Buddhists; v. 16, 18, 19. London: Luzac & Company,
1949-56. (excerpts)
➢ Khoroche, Peter, transl..Aryasura. Once the Buddha Was a Monkey:
Arya Sura's ‘Jatakamala’. University of Chicago Press, 2006.
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➢ Khoroche, Peter, transl..Once a Peacock, Once an Actress: Twenty-
Four Lives of the Bodhisattva from Haribhatta's Jatakamala.
University of Chicago Press, 2017.
Strongly recommended, but not required:
Alfred Foucher, The life of the Buddha: according to the ancient texts and
monuments of India. Wesleyan University Press, 1963.
John Powers, A Bull of a Man – Images of Masculinity, Sex, and The Body in
Indian Buddhism, Harvard, 2009.
Stanley Frye, transl. The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish: Or, The Ocean of
Narratives. Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, LTWA, 2006 (3rd edition).
The rest of the course readings will be made available on NYU Classes as PDF files
or otherwise provided.
Assignments and Evaluations:
Attendance and Participation (15%): Class attendance and discussion is essential.
Students will be expected to attend class having completed all of the required reading.
Arriving in class having done all of the reading, thought about it, and developed some
questions or comments about it; contributing actively and thoughtfully to class
discussions is key. (Students may be asked to write short reading responses most
weeks in response to the week’s readings).
Two short paper assignments (6-7 pages each): 2 x 20% (total 40%): These
short essay assignments will draw upon specific readings or film
documentaries (TBD).
Short Paper Assignment #1 (20%): Essay on an assigned topic. Topic will be assigned
in Week 4 – the short paper is expected to be handed in in Week 6 (tentative).
Short Paper Assignment #2 (20%): Essay on an assigned topic. The short paper is
expected to be handed in end of Week 11 (tentative).
Museum Visit (10%): There will be at least one planned museum class visit to The
Metropolitan Museum of Art probably scheduled outside regular class time. This
museum visit is to take place either during the weekend of Week 8 or of Week 9 or at
another time suitable to all.
Final Paper (35%): Students must write one final paper, 8-10 pages, (longer for
graduate students) choosing to discuss one or two images from the Buddhist
collections from a major museum in the USA or abroad (preferably a museum which
the student has visited in person and experienced the work first hand), analysing and
discussing the relevance of the image(s) to the topics and issues discussed in the
course. (Any Buddha life narrative image from India, Central Asia or China dated
from 2 c BCE to 6 c CE is fine). This paper is due on May 14th, Thursday (tentative).
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Papers not handed in on the due date will be marked off a full letter grade each day
late.
Note: Both the short assignment essays and the final paper should be submitted via
both hard copy and email before the set deadlines. No extensions please.
Other Policies:
Plagiarism:
The minimum penalty for plagiarism will be a “0” for the assignment in question.
Penalties may also include a grade of “F” for the entire course, or in particularly
serious instances, expulsion from the University. Refer to the University’s plagiarism
policy for more information: http://cas.nyu.edu/page/academicintegrity.
Electronic Devices:
All phones and electronic devices must be turned off/silent during our class period.
Phones must be put away altogether. I strongly encourage you to also turn off your
computer’s wifi to avoid being distracted.
Notetaking—I would prefer it if laptops not be used for notetaking. Research shows
that taking notes by hand—i.e. using the body is better
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-
laptop/
You’re welcome to have a laptop or iPad open for the readings, but not for note-
taking. However, that said, of course, please let me and the Moses Center (see below)
know if you do need to use the laptop for notes for any specific reasons and we’ll
accommodate…
Disability Support Services:
If you have a physical, psychological, or learning disability that may impact your
course work, please contact the Moses Center for Disabilities at 212-998-4980, or by
email, at mosescsd@nyu.edu.
https://www.nyu.edu/students/communities-and-groups/students-with-
disabilities/how-to-register.html
The Moses Center for Students with Disabilities stands by to help us
make your learning experience all that it can be. See them and also talk to me!
WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS AND ACTIVITIES:
Week 1 (Jan. 28 and Jan 30):
Welcome and hellos and introduction to the course.
Readings:
# Strong, The Buddha, Introduction.
# Shaner, "Biographies of the Buddha," 306-322.
WATCH A FILM DOCUMENTARY (TBD)
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* Nakamura, Hajime. Gotama Buddha: a biography based on the most reliable
texts. Charles E. Tuttle Co., 2005.
* Foucher, Alfred. The Life of the Buddha: according to the ancient texts and
monuments of India. Wesleyan University Press, 1963. (Recommended to
consult throughout the course)
Week 2 (Feb. 4 and Feb. 6):
I. THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
1. The Buddha’s Life Story Readings:
# Strong, The Buddha, Ch. 1.
# Gadjin, and Mark L. Blum. "The Life of the Buddha: An Interpretation," p. 1-31.
# The Great Discourse on the Lineage, Mahapadana Sutta DN 14. In Long
Discourses of the Buddha [Digha Nikaya].
# Reynolds, “The many lives of Buddha: a study of sacred biography and
Theravada tradition.”
* Gregory Schopen, “If you can't remember, how to make it up: some
monastic rules for redacting canonical texts.” In Buddhist monks and business
matters, 395-407.
* Roland Steiner, “Truth Under the Guise of Poetry: Asvagosha’s Life of the
Buddha” (p.89-121) in Lives Lived, Lives Imagined: Biography in the
Buddhist Traditions.
Week 3 (Feb. 11 and Feb. 13):
2. The Buddhist Stupa, Buddhist Cave Temples and the Life of
the Buddha Readings:
# Seckel, and Andreas Leisinger. Before and beyond the Image Aniconic
Symbolism in Buddhist Art. [Read only p. 11-39.]
# Dehejia, “On modes of visual narration in early Buddhist art,” p. 374-392.
# Williams, “On viewing Sanci,” p. 93-98.
# Schopen, "The Fragrance of the Buddha, the Scent of Monuments, and the Odor
of Images in Early India," p. 11-30.
* Dehejia, Vidya, Aniconism and the Multivalence of Emblems, Ars
Orientalis, Vol. 21, (1991) , pp. 45-66.
* Miksic, John. Borobudur: Golden tales of the Buddhas. Tuttle Publishing,
2012.
* Murray, Julia K. “Buddhism and early narrative illustration in China.”
Archives of Asian art 48 (1995): 17-31.
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Week 4 (Feb 18 and Feb. 20):
II. PILGRIMAGE AND THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
Readings:
# Asher, “From Place to Site: Locations of the Buddha’s Life,” p. 233-45.
# Leoshko, “On the construction of a Buddhist pilgrimage site,” p. 573-597.
# Guy, John. "The Mahābodhi Temple: Pilgrim Souvenirs of Buddhist India," p.
356-367.
# Maud, Jovan. "Buddhist Relics and Pilgrimage,” p. 421-435.
*Karetzky, Patricia Eichenbaum. The Act of Pilgrimage and Guptan Steles
with Scenes from the Life of the Buddha. Oriental art 33, no. 3 (1987) 268-
274.
* Travels of Fah-Hian and Sung-Yun, Buddhist Pilgrims: From China to India
(400 AD and 518 AD). Trübner,1869.
* Xuanzang, The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions.
Translated by Li Rongxi.
Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 1996.
Week 5 (Feb. 25 and Feb. 27):
III. A BULL OF A MAN
1. The Buddha Readings:
# John Powers, “Why Practicing Virtue is Better than Working Out: Bodies and
Ethics in Indian Buddhism.”
# John Powers, “You’re Only as Good As You Look: Indian Buddhist
Associations of Virtue and Physical Appearance.”
# John Powers, A Bull of a Man - Chapter 1. The Ultimate Man (p. 1-23);
Chapter 2. A Manly Monk (p. 24-66); Appendix 1: The Major and Minor Physical
Characteristics of a Great Man (p. 237-239); Appendix 2: Epithets of the Buddha
(p. 241-243).
# The Marks of a Great Man, [DN] 30: Lakkhaṇa Sutta. In The Long Discourses
of the Buddha, p. 441-460.
* Brown, Robert L. “God on earth: the walking Buddha in the art of South and
Southeast Asia.” Artibus Asiae (1990): 73-107.
* Desai, Vishakha N. “Reflections on the History and Historiography of Male
Sexuality in Early Indian Art,” in Representing the Body: Gender Studies in
Indian Art, p. 42-55.
Week 6 (March 3 and March 5):
2. The Bodhisattva Readings:
# Strong, The Buddha, Ch. 2.
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# Adam, "Moral Development in the Jātakas, Avadānas, and Pāli Nikāyas," p. 77-
95.
# Meiland, transl.. Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives by Aryashura. (Stories
to read: #2 King Shibi; #28 Kshantivadin; TBD)
# Ohnuma, and Margo Kitts. "To Extract the Essence from this Essenceless Body:
Self-Sacrifice and Self-Immolation in Indian Buddhism."
* Reiko Ohnuma, from Head, Eyes, Flesh, and Blood - Chapter 1: The Gift of
the Body Genre (p. 26-51) and Chapter 6: Bodies Ordinary and Ideal (p. 199-
241)
* Brown, Robert. “Narrative as icon: the jataka stories in ancient Indian and
southeast Asian architecture.” In Sacred biography in the Buddhist traditions
of South and Southeast Asia, 64-109, ed. by Juliane Schober. Motilal
Banarsidass Publ., 2002.
* Chapter 6 “The Greater Men of the Greater Vehicle.” In Powers, John. A
Bull of a Man, p. 164-202. Harvard University Press, 2009.
Week 7 (March 10 and March 12):
3. The Prince Readings:
# Strong, The Buddha, Ch. 3.
# Meiland, transl.. Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives by Aryashura. (Selected
jataka: #9 Vishvantara)
# Max Deeg, The Birth of the Buddha in Chinese Anthologies of the Early Sixth
Century.
# Buddhacarita – (re-)read Prince Siddhartha parts.
* Lee, Junghee. "The Origins and Development of the Pensive Bodhisattva
Images of Asia." Artibus Asiae 53, no. 3–4 (1993): 311–57.
SPRING RECESS (Monday, March 16 - Sunday, March 22) – NO CLASSES
MUSEUM TRIP TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART Note: There will be an additionally scheduled class meeting (outside of the regular
scheduled class time) for a museum class visit to The MET which will take place
either during the weekend of Week 8 or of Week 9 at a time suitable for all.
Week 8 (March 24 and March 26):
4. The Renunciant Ascetic
5. The Fully Awakened Buddha – the Enlightenment Readings:
# Dipankara jataka - version from the Nidāna-kātha. Davids, Buddhist Birth-
stories.
# Buddhacarita - re-read Great Departure and the ascetic practices parts.
# Relevant excerpts from the Mahavastu (TBD)
# Buddhacarita - re-read the part about the Enlightenment.
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# Strong, The Buddha, Ch. 4.
*Pali canon suttas: The Longer Discourse to Saccaka MN 36 Maha Saccaka
Sutta; Fear and Terror MN 4 Bhaya Beravava Sutta; The Noble Search MN 26
Ariyapariyesana Sutta. (Nanamoli, Bhikkhu, and Bhikkhu Bodhi. The Middle
length discourses of the Buddha. A Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya,
Wisdom Publications, 1995.)
Week 9 (March 31 and April 2):
6. The Buddha as a Teacher Readings:
# Strong, The Buddha, Ch. 5 and 6.
# McClintock, "Compassionate Trickster: The Buddha as a Literary Character
in the Narratives of Early Indian Buddhism," p. 90-112.
# Brown, "The Śrāvastī Miracles in the Art of India and Dvāravatī," 79-95.
Week 10 (April 7 and April 9):
7. The Buddha’s Nirvana Readings:
# Strong, The Buddha, Ch. 7.
# Dillon, "Dialogues with Death: The Last Days of Socrates and the Buddha,"
p. 525-58.
* Strong, John S. "The Parinirvana of the Buddha.” In Relics of the
Buddha, 98-123. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004.
*SN 47.9 “Linked Discourses” Sutta 47: Sick
https://suttacentral.net/sn47.9/en/sujato
* Zin, Monika. About Two Rocks in the Buddha's Life Story. East and
West 56, no. 4 (2006): 329-58.
April 9 (tentative) - Watch a documentary and have a discussion.
The Boy with Divine Powers (Documentary)
https://youtu.be/nG5FqQKrrHI
Nepal: Little Buddha, the return – Documentary
https://youtu.be/eDho1Y8MekE
Week 11 (April 14 and April 16):
IV. BASIC BUDDHIST TENETS AND COSMOLOGY
EXPLAINED THROUGH THE BUDDHA’S LIFE
Readings:
What is karma; cycle(s) of rebirth; realms of existence; gods; the Bodhisattva
practice of perfections; giving; suffering; impermanence; the four noble truths;
dependent origination; the “Middle Way”; the Eightfold Path; Buddhist ethics of
inter-personal relationships, etc.
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# "Karma." In Harvey, The Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics, 6-28.
# “Rebirth and karma” – p. 11-19. “The Four Noble Truths” – p. 31-42. In Peter
Harvey, An introduction to Buddhist ethics: Foundations, values and issues.
# Gadjin, and Mark L. Blum. "The Buddha's Life as Parable for Later Buddhist
Thought," p. 1-32.
* Walters, Jonathan S. "The Buddha's Bad Karma: A Problem in the History
of Theravâda Buddhism." Numen 37, no. 1 (1990): 70-95.
Week 12 (April 21 and April 23):
V. ANIMALS IN THE BUDDHA’S LIFE
1. “Once the Buddha Was a Monkey”- stories about previous lives
of the Buddha as an animal Readings:
# Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives by Aryashura.
(Stories to read: 1 The Tigress; 6 The Hare; 24 The Great Ape; 26 The Antelope;
27 The Great Monkey (King of the Monkeys)
# The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish: Or, The Ocean of Narratives.
(Selected stories)
# Once the Buddha Was a Monkey: Arya Sura's ‘Jatakamala’ (Selected
stories).
* Cowell, Edward Byles, ed. The Jātaka: Or, Stories of the Buddha's Former
Births. Cambridge University Press, 1895-1913.
* Khoroche, Peter, transl..Once a Peacock, Once an Actress: Twenty-Four
Lives of the Bodhisattva from Haribhatta's Jatakamala. University of Chicago
Press, 2017.
Week 13 (April 28 and April 30):
2. Animals in the life of the Buddha Readings:
# Brown, “Telling the Story in Art of the Monkey's Gift of Honey to the Buddha.”
# Selection from Reiko Ohnuma, Unfortunate Destiny: Animals in the Indian
Buddhist Imagination.
[Stories about the horse Kanthaka, the elephant Nalagiri, the elephant
Parileyyaka and the monkey’s offer of honey.]
Week 14 (May 5 and May 7):
VI. ONCE THE BUDDHA WAS A WOMAN
Readings:
# “Rupavati gives away her breasts” in Buddhist Scriptures, p. 159-184.
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# Ohnuma, Reiko. “The Story of Rupavati: A Female Past Birth of the Buddha”, p.
103-145.
# Kajiyama, Yuichi “Women in Buddhism,” p.53-70.
# Derris, “When the Buddha Was a Woman,” p.29-44.
* Paul, Diana Y. Chapter 8 A Female Buddha? In Women in Buddhism:
images of the feminine in Mahāyāna tradition. University of California Press,
1985. p. 281-302.
* Paul, Diana Y. "Buddhist Attitudes Toward Women's Bodies." Buddhist-
Christian Studies (1981): p. 63-71.
* Schuster, Nancy. "Striking a balance: Women and Images of Women in
early Chinese Buddhism." Women, Religion, and Social Change (1985): 87-
112.
* Ohnuma, Reiko: “Woman, Bodhisattva, and Buddha”, Journal of Feminist
Studies in Religion, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Spring, 2001), p. 63-83.
May 14th, Thursday (tentative): FINAL PAPERS DUE via hard copy and email by
12PM.
The Ruru Jātaka, or the Tale of the Deer of Nine Colours (mural painting detail),
Dunhuang Mogao cave 257.
List of Weekly Readings (with full citations):
1. Strong, John S. The Buddha: a short biography. Oneworld Publications, 2001.
[Introduction]
2. Shaner, David Edward. "Biographies of the Buddha." Philosophy East and
West, Vol. 37, No. 3 (1987): 306-322.
3. Strong, John S. The Buddha: a short biography. Oneworld Publications, 2001.
[Ch. 1]
4. Gadjin, Nagao, and Mark L. Blum. "The Life of the Buddha: An
Interpretation." The Eastern Buddhist, New Series, 20, no. 2 (1987): 1-31.
5. The Great Discourse on the Lineage, Mahapadana Sutta DN 14. Walshe,
Maurice. The long discourses of the Buddha: A translation of the Digha
Nikaya. Wisdom Publications, 2005.
6. Reynolds, Frank E. “The many lives of Buddha: a study of sacred biography
and Theravada tradition.” In The Biographical Process, 37-61. Edited by F.
Reynolds and D. Capps, Mouton, 1976.
12
7. Seckel, Dietrich, and Andreas Leisinger. "Before and beyond the Image:
Aniconic Symbolism in Buddhist Art." Artibus Asiae. Supplementum 45
(2004): 3-107. [To read only p. 11-39.]
8. Dehejia, Vidya. “On modes of visual narration in early Buddhist art.” The Art
Bulletin 72, no. 3 (1990): 374-392.
9. Williams, Joanna. “On viewing Sanci.” Archives of Asian Art 50 (1997): 93-
98.
10. Schopen, Gregory. "The Fragrance of the Buddha, the Scent of Monuments,
and the Odor of Images in Early India." Bulletin De L'École Française
D'Extrême-Orient 101 (2015): 11-30.
11. Asher, Frederick. “From Place to Site: Locations of the Buddha’s Life.”
Artibus Asiae 69, no. 2 (2009): 233-45.
12. Leoshko, Janice. On the construction of a Buddhist pilgrimage site. Art
History 19.4 (1996) 573-597.
13. Guy, John. "The Mahābodhi Temple: Pilgrim Souvenirs of Buddhist India."
The Burlington Magazine (1991): 356-367.
14. Maud, Jovan. "Buddhist Relics and Pilgrimage." In The Oxford Handbook of
Contemporary Buddhism, p. 421-435. Oxford University Press, 2017.
15. Powers, John. “Why Practicing Virtue is Better than Working Out: Bodies and
Ethics in Indian Buddhism.” Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal 22 (2009): 125-
152.
16. Powers, John. “You're Only as Good as You Look: Indian Buddhist
Association of Virtue and Physical Appearance.” In Destroying Mara Forever:
Buddhist ethics essays in honor of Damien Keown, p. 67-94. Snow Lion
Publications, 2009.
17. Powers, John. A Bull of a Man. Harvard University Press, 2009.
18. The Marks of a Great Man, [DN] 30: Lakkhaṇa Sutta (p. 441-460) - Walshe,
Maurice. The long discourses of the Buddha: A translation of the Digha
Nikaya. Wisdom Publications, 2005.
19. Strong, John S. The Buddha: a short biography. Oneworld Publications, 2001. [Ch. 2]
20. Adam, Martin. "Moral Development in the Jātakas, Avadānas, and Pāli
Nikāyas." In The Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics, p. 77-95. Oxford
University Press, 2018.
21. Meiland, Justin transl.. Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives by Aryashura.
Vols. 1 and 2. NYU Press, 2009.
22. Ohnuma, Reiko, and Margo Kitts. "To Extract the Essence from this
Essenceless Body: Self-Sacrifice and Self-Immolation in Indian Buddhism."
Martyrdom, Self-Sacrifice, and Self-Immolation: Religious Perspectives on
Suicide (2018): 241-265.
23. Strong, John S. The Buddha: a short biography. Oneworld Publications, 2001.
[Ch. 3]
24. Meiland, Justin transl.. Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives by Aryashura.
Vols. 1 and 2. NYU Press, 2009.
25. Max Deeg, The Birth of the Buddha in Chinese Anthologies of the Early Sixth
Century. In The birth of the Buddha: proceedings of the seminar held in
Lumbini, Nepal, October 2004. Lumbini International Research Institute,
Lumbini, 2010.
13
26. Willemen, Charles, transl., Buddhacarita: In Praise of Buddha's Acts by
Asvaghosa (translated from the Chinese, Taisho volume 4, number 192),
Berkeley, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. 2009.
[Or/and] Olivelle, Patrick transl.. The Life of the Buddha (Buddhacarita) by
Ashvaghosha. (Clay Sanskrit Library). New York University Press, 2009.
27. Davids, Thomas William Rhys. Buddhist Birth-stories (Jataka Tales): The
Commentarial Introduction Entitled Nidāna-kātha, the Story of the Lineage.
Asian Educational Services, 1999.
28. Willemen, Charles, transl., Buddhacarita: In Praise of Buddha's Acts by
Asvaghosa (translated from the Chinese, Taisho volume 4, number 192),
Berkeley, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. 2009.
[Or/and] Olivelle, Patrick transl.. The Life of the Buddha (Buddhacarita) by
Ashvaghosha. (Clay Sanskrit Library). New York University Press, 2009.
29. The Mahāvastu, Translated from the Buddhist Sanskrit By J. J. Jones, Sacred
books of the Buddhists; v. 16, 18, 19. London: Luzac & Company, 1949-56.
30. Willemen, Charles, transl., Buddhacarita: In Praise of Buddha's Acts by
Asvaghosa (translated from the Chinese, Taisho volume 4, number 192),
Berkeley, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. 2009.
[Or/and] Olivelle, Patrick transl.. The Life of the Buddha (Buddhacarita) by
Ashvaghosha. (Clay Sanskrit Library). New York University Press, 2009.
31. Strong, John S. The Buddha: a short biography. Oneworld Publications, 2001. [Ch. 4]
32. Strong, John S. The Buddha: a short biography. Oneworld Publications, 2001.
[Ch. 5 and 6]
33. McClintock, Sara L. "Compassionate Trickster: The Buddha as a Literary
Character in the Narratives of Early Indian Buddhism." Journal of the
American Academy of Religion 79, no. 1 (2011): 90-112.
34. Brown, Robert L. "The Śrāvastī Miracles in the Art of India and Dvāravatī."
Archives of Asian Art 37 (1984): 79-95.
35. Strong, John S. The Buddha: a short biography. Oneworld Publications, 2001.
[Ch. 7]
36. Dillon, Matthew. "Dialogues with Death: The Last Days of Socrates and the
Buddha." Philosophy East and West 50, no. 4 (2000): 525-58.
37. Harvey, Peter. "Karma." In The Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics, 6-28.
Oxford University Press, 2018.
38. Harvey, Peter. An introduction to Buddhist ethics: Foundations, values and
issues. Cambridge University Press, 2000. (To read: Rebirth and karma – p.
11-19. The Four Noble Truths – p. 31-42.)
39. Gadjin, Nagao, and Mark L. Blum. "The Buddha's Life as Parable for Later
Buddhist Thought." The Eastern Buddhist, NEW SERIES, 24, no. 2 (1991): 1-
32.
40. Meiland, Justin transl.. Garland of the Buddha’s Past Lives by Aryashura.
Vols. 1 and 2. NYU Press, 2009.
41. Frye, Stanley, transl. The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish: Or, The Ocean of
Narratives. Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, LTWA, 2006.
42. Khoroche, Peter, transl..Aryasura. Once the Buddha Was a Monkey: Arya
Sura's ‘Jatakamala’. University Of Chicago Press, 2006.
43. Brown, Robert L. “Telling the Story in Art of the Monkey's Gift of Honey to
the Buddha.” Bulletin of the Asia Institute (2009): 43-52.
14
44. Ohnuma, Reiko. Unfortunate Destiny: Animals in the Indian Buddhist
Imagination. Oxford University Press, 2017.
45. “Rupavati gives away her breasts” translated by Reiko Ohnuma. In Buddhist
scriptures, edited by Donald S. Lopez, London: Penguin, 2004. p. 159-184.
46. Ohnuma, Reiko. "The story of Rūpāvatī: A female past birth of the Buddha."
Journal of the international association of Buddhist studies (2000): 103-145.
47. Kajiyama, Yuichi “Women in Buddhism,” Eastern Buddhist 15.2 (1982): 53-
70.
48. Derris, Karen. When the Buddha Was a Woman: Reimagining Tradition in the
Theravāda. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion (2008): 29-44.
A list of further recommended related readings:
Beal, Samuel. The Romantic Legend of Sâkya Buddha: From the Chinese-Sanscrit. A
translation of the Chinese version of the Abhiniskramanasutra. Trübner &
Company, 1875. (available as a Google e-book)
Covill, Linda, Ulrike Roesler, and Sarah Shaw. Lives Lived, Lives Imagined:
Biography in the Buddhist Traditions. Wisdom Publications, 2010.
Cowell, Edward Byles, ed. The Jātaka: Or, Stories of the Buddha's Former Births.
Cambridge University Press, 1895-1913.
Fausböll, Michel Viggo, ed. Buddhist Birth Stories, Or, Jātaka Tales: The Oldest
Collection of Folk-lore Extant Being the Jātakatthavaṇnanā for the First Time.
Trübner & Company, 1880. (Google eBook).
Foucher, Alfred. The Beginnings of Buddhist Art: And Other Essays in Indian and
Central-Asian Archaeology. Varanasi: Indological Book House, 1972.
Legge, James, ed. A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: Being an Account by the
Chinese Monk Fâ-Hien of His Travels in India and Ceylon, AD 399-414, in
Search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline. Translated and Annotated with a
Corean Recension of the Chinese Text. Clarendon press, 1886.
Li Rongxi, transl. The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions. Vol. 79.
Berkeley, Calif.: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation & Research, 1996.
Mair, Victor H. Painting and performance: Chinese picture recitation and its
Indian genesis. University of Hawaii Press, 1988.
Miksic, John. Borobudur: Golden tales of the Buddhas. Tuttle Publishing, 2012.
Nattier, Jan. A Guide to the Earliest Chinese Buddhist Translations: Texts from the
Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms Periods. International Research Institute for
Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2006.
Rotman, Andy, transl. Divine Stories: Divyavadana, Part I. Classics of Indian
Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008.
Rotman, Andy. Divine Stories: Divyavadana. Vol. 2. Simon and Schuster, 2017.
Snellgrove, David L., ed. The image of the Buddha. Serindia Publ., 1978.
Stanleyk Abe. Art and Practice in a Fifth-Century Chinese Buddhist Cave Temple.
Ars Orientalis 20 (1990) 1-31.
The Play in Full (Lalitavistara), The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra “The Play in Full”
(Āryalalitavistaranāmamahāyānasūtra) translated from Tibetan and Sanskrit by
The Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Toh 95, Degé Kangyur, vol. 46
(mdo sde, kha), folios 1b–216b, PDF version.
Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie. “Transformations of Identity and the Buddha's Infancy
Narratives at Kanaganahalli.” Archives of Asian Art 67.1 (2017): 111-142.
15
Digital Resource: Dunhuang Mogao Caves: https://www.e-dunhuang.com/index.htm
Dunhuang Mogao Cave 275. King Sibi Jataka (mural painting detail). Northern Liang (421-439)
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