Volume 37, Number 4, 311-330, DOI: 10.1007/s10781-008-9052-x

Locating Humour in Indian Buddhist Monastic Law Codes: A Comparative Approach

Shayne Clarke

View Related Documents

Abstract

It has been claimed that Indian Buddhism, as opposed to East Asian Chan/Zen traditions, was somehow against humour. In this paper I contend that humour is discernible in canonical Indian Buddhist texts, particularly in Indian Buddhist monastic law codes (Vinaya). I will attempt to establish that what we find in these texts sometimes is not only humourous but that it is intentionally so. I approach this topic by comparing different versions of the same narratives preserved in Indian Buddhist monastic law codes.

Keywords  Humour - Indian Buddhism -  Vinaya  -  Sarvāstivāda-vinaya  -  Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya

This is a revised version of a paper presented at the XVth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, June 23-29, 2008. I wish to acknowledge financial assistance from the Arts Research Board, McMaster University.

Fulltext Preview

Image of the first page of the fulltext document