Abstract

AbstractThe current study reveals that the Buddhist egalitarian spiritual message found global resonance in an era of globalized inequality. By comparing three modern retellings of an ancient romance between an outcaste (untouchable/Dalit) maiden and the Buddha's attendant Ānanda, this study showcases a shared socio-spiritual horizon that emerged in the Indian and Chinese Buddhist revivals and that thwarted colonial epistemic domination and offered powerful social critiques. More specifically, this study shows that the Indian and Chinese afterlives of the romance display innovative formations of Buddhist social consciousness. The authors reinterpreted equality and freedom on Buddhist terms, creating a new standard of civilization. Employing this “already democratic” Buddhist civilization, they launched critiques of the Indian caste system and Chinese patriarchy. This socio-spiritual horizon subverts the typecast images of “spiritual India” and “rational China.” Whereas these images reflect the limits of the comparative lens based on political regimes – namely, Indian democracy and Chinese socialism – the current study goes beyond regime types by examining diverse formations of universal religion in the cultural sphere. More broadly, a critical strategy for provincializing Europe is to block the colonial gaze and instead showcase the vibrant cultural productions and meaning-making that circulated at the margins of empire.

Highlights

  • The current study reveals that the Buddhist egalitarian spiritual message found global resonance in an era of globalized inequality

  • The current study uncovers two overlooked early formations of Buddhist social consciousness in India and China by analyzing three modern retellings of an ancient Buddhist love story between an outcaste1 girl and the Buddha’s assistant Ānanda: the 1856 draft of an unproduced opera Die Sieger by Richard Wagner, the 1933 dance drama Chandalika by Rabindranath Tagore, and the 1927 Peking opera Modengjia nü 摩登伽女 penned by the playwright Qingyi Jushi 清逸居士 and produced by the opera performer Shang Xiaoyun 尚小雲

  • I argue that the surprising modern popularity of this ancient love story lies in its forceful social critique

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Summary

Introduction

The current study reveals that the Buddhist egalitarian spiritual message found global resonance in an era of globalized inequality.

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