> 8 . Nirvana and Other Buddhist Felicities  (Utopias of the Pali imaginaire)

CODE : MB008

Nirvana and Other Buddhist Felicities
(Utopias of the Pali imaginaire)

This book presents a new answer to the question: what is nirvana? Part I distinguishes between systematic and narrative thought in the Pali texts of Theravada Buddhism in South and SouthEast Asia .  Part II explores other Buddhist utopias, and relates Buddhist utopianism to studies of European and American utopian writing.  The book ends with a close reading of theVessantara Jataka, which highlights the conflict between the ascetic quest for closure and ultimate felicity, and the ongoing demands of ordinary life and society.  Steven Collins discusses these issues in relation to textuality, world history and ideology in premodern civilizations.