Childhood is a human experience, universally represented across time and cultures. In recent times, it has received increasing attention as an important structural form of society, influenced by various parameters and influencing them at the same time. Despite the relevance of it, the research on childhood and Buddhism is still insufficient and still heavily influenced by a western-centered attitude. This thesis seeks to address the study on Buddhism and childhood by engaging in an extensive exploration of childhood discourse and imagery in Premodern South Asian Buddhist texts.
Chapter 1 aims at clearly laying down the research purposes and motivations, as well as methods and approach. In order to delve into a more critical examination of childhood and its vicissitudes, chapter 2 will provide crucial understanding of terminologies and concepts, as well as background on social aspects. To accomplish this, a critical survey the field of Childhood Studies will be conducted, identifying its challenges and prevailing paradigms.
An analysis of various Buddhist texts containing either direct or indirect discourse and imagery of children and childhood will be carried out. These texts are mainly from Mainstream and Mahāyana traditions, but I will occasionally cross this line and draw from Vajrayana sources in order to support some arguments. The contrasting way in which these two chapters are have been arranged serves two main purposes: (a) to represent the spectrum of discourses on children and childhood in Buddhist tradition and (b) to represent the possibility of transcending established paradigms.
Chapter 3 focuses on the ambivalent Buddhist literal and figurative representation of childhood in philosophical texts. The first section deals with the imagery related to the embryo, the mother and child abandonment to demonstrate a non-idealized construction of childhood its related themes in Buddhist literature. The second section concentrates on the displacement of appreciative language related to childhood and family to the realm of Buddhist religious ideals.
Chapter 4 deals with the adult-oriented perspectives on childhood coexisting with the awareness of childhood and its characteristics revealed through childcare and childrearing practices documented in Buddhist texts. The general adult-centered attitude found in some sources might generate misconceptions about Buddhism as a tradition that disregards the physical and psychological needs of small children. However, a deeper investigation evidenced an awareness of childhood that is unprecedented in Ancient India.
目次
ABSTRACT i 摘要 iv DEDICATION vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii CONTENTS ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Background of the study 3 1.2. Literature review 6 1.3. Problem statement and purpose 11 1.4. Methodology 12 1.4.1. Ohnuma’s approach and source categorization 14 1.5. Research limitations and challenges 17 CHAPTER 2: RECONSTRUCTING CHILDHOOD 19 2.1. The Studies of childhood in context 19 2.1.1. The prevalent paradigms in the studies of childhood in Buddhism 25 2.1.2. Overcoming the prevalent paradigms 27 2.2. Defining terms 33 2.2.1. Definition of terms for childhood 34 2.2.2. Definition of terms for children 36 2.3. Childhood as a structural form 40 2.3.1. Childhood as a structural form in Ancient India 44 2.3.1.1. Childhood and social stratification 45 2.3.1.2. Childhood and familial relationships 47 2.3.1.3. Childhood and education 51 2.4. Chapter Conclusion 54 CHAPTER 3: LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE REPRESENTATIONS OF CHILDREN 58 3.1. Literal representations of children 61 3.1.1. Garbha-Duḥkha: The suffering of the embryo 65 3.1.2. Children and their mothers 70 3.1.3. Children and abandonment 75 3.2. Figurative Representation of Children 83 3.2.1. Childhood themes and representations of Universal Compassion 86 3.2.2. Childhood themes and spiritual cultivation 93 3.2.3. Childhood themes and the master-pupil relationship 99 3.2.3.1. The Buddha as a Father 100 3.2.3.2. Familial symbolism regulating the monastic community 104 3.3. Chapter Conclusion 106 CHAPTER 4: ADULT-ORIENTEDNESS AND CHILDHOOD AWARENESS COEXISTING IN BUDDHIST LITERATURE 112 4.1. The Miniature Adult in Buddhism 112 4.1.1. Was the Buddha ever a child? 115 4.1.2. Tulku: The past-oriented child 123 4.2. Childcare and Childrearing in Buddhism 128 4.2.1. Childcare 129 4.2.1.1. Childcare for the laity 133 4.2.1.2. Childcare for child monastics 138 4.2.2. Childrearing 145 4.3. Chapter Conclusion 149 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 154 BIBLIOGRAPHY 159 Primary Sources 159 English translations of the Pali Nikāya 159 English translations of Mahāyana Sūtras 159 Chinese Canon 160 Hinduist Scriptures 160 Secondary Sources 160 Books 160 Articles 162 Terciary Sources 165
