Sacred Editors

Sacred Editors: Buddhism

This volume traces the journey of the Buddhist canon from oral recitation to palm leaf, from Silk Road translations to digital preservation. It explores how consensus and conflict shaped what survived, and how political power, forgotten traditions, and the rise of modern technology continue to edit the Dharma in every generation.

Buddhism Book Cover

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Table of Contents

  1. Introduction: Reading the Lotus Amid the Leaves
  2. Prologue: Who Edits Awakening?

    3. Part I: From Memory to Manuscript — The Birth of Buddhist Scripture

  3. Chapter 1: The World Without a Book
  4. Chapter 2: The First Councils: Consensus or Conflict?
  5. Interlude A: The Power of Oral Transmission
  6. Chapter 3: Writing Down the Dharma
  7. Chapter 4: Vinaya as Living Law
  8. Chapter 5: Capstone – Whose Words Survived?

    9. Part II: Expanding Worlds — Transmission Across Asia

  9. Chapter 6: The Great Translations
  10. Interlude B: Lost Texts, Fragmented Canons
  11. Chapter 7: Canonizing Diversity
  12. Chapter 8: Sectarian Edits
  13. Chapter 9: Forgotten Routes and Regional Voices
  14. Chapter 10: Capstone – The Dharma’s Many Faces

    15. Part III: Guardians, Scribes, and Censors — Politics of Preservation

  15. Chapter 11: Kings, Councils, and Control
  16. Chapter 12: Scribes at Work
  17. Interlude C: The Hidden Manuscripts of Dunhuang
  18. Chapter 13: Burning Libraries, Banned Books
  19. Chapter 14: Marginalized Traditions
  20. Chapter 15: Capstone – Would Buddhism Be the Same?

    21. Part IV: Modernity and the Many Canons — Globalization, Scholarship, and Digital Dharma

  21. Chapter 16: Colonialism and the Western Gaze
  22. Chapter 17: The Rise of Modern Publishers
  23. Interlude D: Who Owns the Texts?
  24. Chapter 18: The Digital Revolution
  25. Chapter 19: Buddhist Canons in the Diaspora
  26. Chapter 20: Capstone – The Living Canon
  27. Conclusion: The Editors’ Dharma—A Text Ever Evolving
  28. Research Methods

    29. Appendices

  29. Appendix A: Timeline of Significant Events
  30. Appendix B: Significant Transcripts, Texts, and Canons
  31. Appendix C: Brief Biographies of Key Scholars
  32. Appendix D: Major Archaeological Sites and Manuscript Discoveries
  33. Appendix E: Glossary of Terms