This comprehensive study explores all aspects of Theravada, its doctrines, literature and practices, examining developments and diversity from its earliest centuries to the present day. Theravada Buddhism offers an enriching and enlightening overview of the history, teachings, and beliefs of Theravada for students, as well as discussing the findings of recent research for more advanced readers.

Theravada, the Buddhism of Sri Lanka and mainland Southeast Asia, is frequently misidentified with early Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism. Studies of contemporary Theravada are often limited to the tradition of a single country, but this book treats it as a multifaceted religion that has evolved over two and a half millennia. From the various countries of the region, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Thailand and Vietnam, a wealth of material is featured, revealing the rich and varied traditions that encompass Theravada.

Theravada Buddhism: Continuity, Diversity, and Identity, Kate Crosby, Wiley-Blackwell, Paperback, 312 pages, $48.00

KATE CROSBY is Professor of Buddhist Studies in the department of Theology and Religious Studies at King's College, London. She has previously held posts at the universities of Edinburgh, Lancaster, Cardiff, and SOAS, London. Educated at Oxford, Hamburg, and Kelaniya, in Pune and Varanasi, she works on Sanskrit, Pali, and Pali-vernacular literature and on Theravada practice in the pre-modern and modern periods. She is interested in the history of the relationship between Buddhism and other technologies and how varying responses to modernity influenced the shape, rhetoric, and practice of Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Her publications include The Bodhicaryavatara; Dead of Night & The Women; and Theravada Buddhism: Continuity, Diversity, Identity.

CONTENTS: Theravada Buddhism
Acknowledgments		viii
Map		xi
Introduction		1
Part One: Buddha
1	The Buddha and Budhahood	15
2	Buddha Worship	43
Part Two: Dhamma
3	Literature, Languages, and Conveying the Dhamma	71
4	The Jataka	99
5	The Good Buddhist	112
6	Meditation	138
7	Abhidhamma	174
Part Three: Sangha and Society
8	Monks, Monasteries, and Their Position in Society	197
9	Women in Monasticism	218
10	Women in Theravada Literature and Society	238
11	Feminist Readings of Gender-Related Symbols	250
12	Nonharming, Politics, and Violence	262
Glossary		283
Index		290