Description
Book SynopsisThe book is ambitious and easy to read, has many rich descriptions, that would be good for undergraduates and graduate students interested in mindfulness, Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhism, and the anthropology of Buddhism. ? Religious Studies Review
What is mindfulness, and how does it vary as a concept across different cultures? How does mindfulness find expression in practice in the Buddhist cultures of Southeast Asia? What role does mindfulness play in everyday life? J. L. Cassaniti answers these fundamental questions and more through an engaged ethnographic investigation of what it means to remember the present in a region strongly influenced by Buddhist thought.
Focusing on Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, Remembering the Present examines the meanings, practices, and purposes of mindfulness. Using the experiences of people in Buddhist monasteries, hospitals, markets, and homes in the region, Cassaniti shows how an attention to mem
Trade Review
The book is ambitious and easy to read, has many "rich descriptions," that would be good for undergraduates and graduate students interested in mindfulness, Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhism, and the anthropology of Buddhism
* Religious Studies Review *
The book is very clearly laid out, written in an engaging and accessible style, and it is appropriate for undergraduate classes and up.
* MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY *
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Terms
Introduction
Part I. Thailand
1. Monks' Mindfulness
2. The Feeling of Mindfulness in Meditation
3. The Ghosts of Insanity in Lay Thai Life
Part II. Burma and Sri Lanka
4. Burma
5. Sri Lanka
Conclusion
Notes
Glossary
References
Index
