Philosophical Embryology
Buddhist Texts and the Ritual Construction of a Fetus
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23404166 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Justin Mcdaniel (corresponding author), Justin Thomas Mcdaniel |
| Year | 2008 |
| Pages | 91-106 |
| Publication date | 2008-12-12 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | Imagining the fetus (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195380040.003.0006 |
| OpenAlex | W2505181868 |
| ISBN | 9780195380040 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
This short study examines premodern and modern rituals that involve the creation of ephemeral fetuses through the power of Buddhist philosophical texts and protective science. This chapter emphasizes that although Abhidhamma texts often say absolutely nothing about fetal development, motherhood, and birth, male monks use them to invoke the generative power of a mother. They are used to metaphorically and, many believe, actually create new life. The Abhidhamma texts that these rituals are based on are not mythological stories. They are detailed psychological and philosophical treatises. However, in Southeast Asia these psychophilosophical treatises have been transformed into fantastic stories that describe how new fetuses are created using words from the Abhidhamma.
Aesthetics · Art · Buddhism · Epistemology · Literature · Mythology · Nothing · Power (physics) · Theology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Asian Studies and History · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2022 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |