Present research demonstrates that Arnold Van Gennep’s widely known anthropological theory, the “rites of passage” can be accommodated in stories of the Buddha’s previous rebirth. Connecting Buddhist myths with the notion of “liminality” is not a widespread nevertheless promising proposition in order to gain more knowledge on the Bodhisattva Path. In the first part of this paper we argue the relevance of mythology in human mculture and introduce the problems of applying European mythographical aspects in the research of Buddhist myths. In the second part we give an outline of Van Gennep’s theory and its possible usage in our study in form of a heuristic fourfold division: liminality of space, social attributes, outer and inner transformation of the hero. Then we apply these aspects, in the stories of Sadāprarudita and Sumedha.
目次
ABSTRACT I 摘要 II DEDICATION III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IV CONTENTS VI FIGURES VIII
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Approaching Myths 1 1.2. Investigating Buddhist Myths – Aims and Problems 5 CHAPTER 2: THE THEORY OF LIMINALITY AND ITS CONNECTION TO BUDDHIST MYTHS 10 2.1. Van Gennep and the Development of the Ritual and Liminality Theory 10 2.2. Liminality and Myth 12 2.3. Four Aspects of Liminality in Bodhisattva Stories 15 2.3.1. Sources and Methods of Study 15 2.3.2. Social Liminality 20 2.3.3. Spatial Liminality 21 2.3.4. Changes of Outer Qualities 23 2.3.5. Inner Transformation 25 2.4. Research Questions 28 CHAPTER 3: SADĀPRARUDITA 30 3.1. The Story of Sadāprarudita 31 3.2. Liminal Spaces 35 3.3. Social aspects 39 3.4. Outer Qualities 42 3.5. Inner Transformation 45 3.6. Conclusion 47 CHAPTER 4: SUMEDHA 49 4.1. The Story of Sumedha 51 4.2. Social Aspects 52 4.3. Liminal Spaces 56 4.4. Outer Qualities 58 4.5. Inner Transformation 60 4.6. Conclusion 61 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 64 BIBLIOGRAPHY 71 Primary Sources 71 Secondary Sources 71
