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Locating Humour in Indian Buddhist Monastic Law Codes: A Comparative Approach

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Abstract

It has been claimed that Indian Buddhism, as opposed to East Asian Chan/Zen traditions, was somehow against humour. In this paper I contend that humour is discernible in canonical Indian Buddhist texts, particularly in Indian Buddhist monastic law codes (Vinaya). I will attempt to establish that what we find in these texts sometimes is not only humourous but that it is intentionally so. I approach this topic by comparing different versions of the same narratives preserved in Indian Buddhist monastic law codes.

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Abbreviations

BD :

The Book of the Discipline. Translated by I. B. Horner. Sacred Books of the Buddhists. 6 vols. London: The Pali Text Society, 1938–1966 [1996–1997]

sDe dge:

The Sde-dge Mtshal-par Bka’-’gyur: a facsimile edition of the 18th century redaction of Si-tu Chos-kyi-’byuṅ-gnas prepared under the direction of H. H. the 16th Rgyal-dbaṅ Karma-pa. 103 vols. Delhi: Delhi Karmapae Chodhey Gyalwae Sungrab Partun Khang, 1976–1979

T:

Taishō shinshū daizōkyō 大正新脩大藏經. Edited by Takakusu Junjirō 高楠順次郎, and Watanabe Kaikyoku 渡邊海旭. 100 vols. Tokyo: Taishō issaikyō kankōkai 大正一 切經刊行會, 1924–1935

sTog:

The Tog Palace Manuscript of the Tibetan Kanjur. 109 vols. Leh, Ladakh: C. Namgyal Tarusergar, 1975–1980

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Religious Studies, McMaster University, University Hall, Room 104, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1

    Shayne Clarke

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  1. Shayne Clarke
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Correspondence to Shayne Clarke.

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This is a revised version of a paper presented at the XVth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, June 23-29, 2008. I wish to acknowledge financial assistance from the Arts Research Board, McMaster University.

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Clarke, S. Locating Humour in Indian Buddhist Monastic Law Codes: A Comparative Approach. J Indian Philos 37, 311–330 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-008-9052-x

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