Action and Society in Theravada Buddhism

FAIN: FA-12246-78

Frank E. Reynolds
University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637-5418)

The thesis of the project will be that Theravada Buddhism is grounded in a carefully articulated theory of action which provides the key to an interpretation which can encompass its theoretical, practical and social dimensions. Study will consist of 4 sections: (1) an explication of the basic theory of action; (2) identification of 4 distinct modes of action; (3) an historical interpretation of the structure and dynamics of traditional Theravada societies. The final section of the study will demonstrate how the religio-historical approach explicated in the preceding sections can contribute to the resolution of some of the key issues which have perplexed and divided contemporary textual and social-scientific interpreters.