Primates in World Religions ( B uddhism, C hristianity, H induism, I slam)

Abstract

This entry provides an overview of the presence of nonhuman primates in world religions. The relevant literature and practices associated with Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam are reviewed and discussed. In the Buddhist tradition, nonhuman primates are prominent in the Journey to the West epic novel and many of the Jataka Tales , which largely influence narratives surrounding them in Buddhism. Perceptions of nonhuman primates in Hinduism stem largely from depictions of Hanuman, the monkey demigod, in the Ramayana , but also from the presence of nonhuman primates in other religious texts such as the Pancatantra . Within the Christian tradition, nonhuman primates are often depicted negatively, which largely serves the purpose of establishing human superiority to animals. Finally, nonhuman primates are not a prominent feature of the Islamic traditions, the implications of which are discussed in this entry.