Buddhist Narrative Literature

Any oral and written text can be considered literature in the broadest sense of the word; and Buddhist texts are no exception. The literary quality of Buddhist texts is intimately integrated with Buddhist moral and religious teaching, and it ultimately serves soteriological goals. Buddhist influences in East and South Asian literature are first and foremost observable in the many Buddhist themes, motifs, and personalities that occupy the secular stories, while Buddhist philosophy also became seamlessly integrated with all kinds of literary genres. In terms of narrative style, Buddhism is at its most innovative in its interaction with the general population. Ever since it spread to China, Buddhism had already adopted many popular forms of communications. These popular channels were being adopted by monks who wandered and preached in the countryside, or during feasts and dharma-assemblies, thus greatly facilitating Buddhism’s spread in China. This special issue has as its goal the study of Buddhist narrative literature in the broad context of South and East Asian Buddhist traditions, and seeks to facilitate a thorough discussion on the following non-exhaustive issues: 1. Traditions of Buddhist narrative literature; 2. Narrative Literature and historiography in medieval East Asian society; 3. Comparative study on the narrative literature traditions; 4. Study on specific genres of narrative literature: poetry, (auto-)biography, hagiography, novel, and theatre, etc; 5. Buddhist narrative literature and Buddhist epistemology, historiography, politics, economics, arts, aesthetics, soteriology, or praxis.