Constitutional law; public law; Buddhism; Vinaya; bhikkhunī; sangha; Sri Lanka
摘要
How do contemporary legal systems affect the interpretation and application of religious laws such as Buddhist monastic law? What happens when Buddhists turn to public litigation to dispute the meanings of the Vinaya Piṭaka, the monastic disciplinary code? This article answers these questions by looking closely at recent court cases from Sri Lanka. It argues against the influential assumption that contemporary legal regimes stabilize and narrow interpretations of religious law. It illustrates instead how certain domains of modern legality, especially constitutional law, create new opportunities, spaces and incentives for destabilizing and pluralizing the interpretation of religious norms. Drawing on original legal submissions, draft bills, interviews and other sources from the " expanded archive " of law, I explain why the use of constitutional law has broadened and deepened debates about Buddhist monastic law, its core rules, key texts and regulatory role in the modern world.
目次
Abstract 69 State Law, Monastic Law and Sri Lankan Law 75 The Case of the Driving Monk 77 The Case of the Bhikkhunī ID Cards 85 The Case of the Katikāvata Bill 94 Buddhist Law and Public Law: A Different Narrative 102 Court Cases Cited 105 References 105
