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Visnu, a deity renowned within Hindu religious culture, is among the most ubiquitous images in Sri Lankan Buddhist art, culture and literature. For the Sinhala Buddhists of Sri Lanka, he is a symbol of divine justice, protector of kings, defender of prosperity, and a power who counteracts the sorcery of malevolence.
Visnu's power is still strong in this island nation where two-thirds of the population are Buddhists. Yet, little has been studied or written about his presence in Sinhala Buddhist culture, which is the single-oldest continuing practice of Buddhism in the world.
This transformation of a Hindu god into a Buddhist deity fascinated Bowdoin Religion Department Chair John Holt, who in 1999 began a five-year quest to examine Visnu's place in over a millennium of Sri Lankan culture. The result of his research is a groundbreaking book, The Buddhist Visnu: Religious Transformation, Politics, and Culture (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004).
Full Article/Review HERE
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Click to view attachment
Visnu, a deity renowned within Hindu religious culture, is among the most ubiquitous images in Sri Lankan Buddhist art, culture and literature. For the Sinhala Buddhists of Sri Lanka, he is a symbol of divine justice, protector of kings, defender of prosperity, and a power who counteracts the sorcery of malevolence.
Visnu's power is still strong in this island nation where two-thirds of the population are Buddhists. Yet, little has been studied or written about his presence in Sinhala Buddhist culture, which is the single-oldest continuing practice of Buddhism in the world.
This transformation of a Hindu god into a Buddhist deity fascinated Bowdoin Religion Department Chair John Holt, who in 1999 began a five-year quest to examine Visnu's place in over a millennium of Sri Lankan culture. The result of his research is a groundbreaking book, The Buddhist Visnu: Religious Transformation, Politics, and Culture (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004).
Full Article/Review HERE
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