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A Bull of a Man : Images of Masculinity, Sex, and the Body in Indian Buddhism / John Powers

Author
Powers, John, 1957-
Additional Titles
Images of masculinity, sex, and the body in Indian Buddhism
Published
Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, [2009]
Copyright Date
©2009
Physical Description
1 online resource (xii, 320 pages) : illustrations
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Language Note
In English.
Contents
The ultimate man -- A manly monk -- Sex and the single monk -- The problem with bodies -- The company of men -- The greater men of the greater vehicle -- Adepts and sorcerers.
Summary
"The androgynous, asexual Buddha of contemporary popular imagination stands in stark contrast to the muscular, virile, and sensual figure presented in Indian Buddhist texts. In early Buddhist literature and art, the Buddha's perfect physique and sexual prowess are important components of his legend as the world's "ultimate man." ... In this groundbreaking study of previously unexplored aspects of the early Buddhist tradition, John Powers skillfully adapts methodological approaches from European and North American historiography to the study of early Buddhist literature, art, and iconography, highlighting aspects of the tradition that have been surprisingly invisible in earlier scholarship. The book focuses on the figure of the Buddha and his monastic followers to show how they were constructed as paragons of masculinity, whose powerful bodies and compelling sexuality attracted women, elicited admiration from men, and convinced skeptics of their spiritual attainments."--Jacket
Subject(s)
Genre(s)
ISBN
9780674054431 (electronic bk.)
0674054431 (electronic bk.)
9780674033290
0674033299
Digital File Characteristics
data file
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-312) and index.
View MARC record | catkey: 43166969