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Miksic (2019/1/29), What more can archaeology tell us about Singapore’s past?

John N. Miksic. 29 January 2019. ‘What More Can Archaeology Tell Us About Singapore’s Past?’ Lecture in the series ‘1819 and Before: Singapore’s Pasts’, commemorating Singapore’s bicentennial anniversary. ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. [official info]

John Miksic National Library Singapore
John Miksic speaking at the National Library, Singapore. November 2018.

Abstract
This month marks the 35th anniversary of Singapore’s first archaeological excavation and the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the British under Sir T.S. Raffles. Since then, over half a million artefacts have been recovered from Singapore. These cover two periods: the Temasek era (14th to 16th century) and the Singapore era (1819-present). The artefacts from these excavations have succeeded in proving that Singapore had a sophisticated multicultural society and complex economy before 1350. Continue reading “Miksic (2019/1/29), What more can archaeology tell us about Singapore’s past?”

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Acri (2018), Nusantara in the Sanskritic Buddhist Cosmopolis

Andrea Acri. 2018. ‘The place of Nusantara in the Sanskritic Buddhist Cosmopolis’. TRaNS: Trans-Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia 6 (2), pp. 139-166. doi:10.1017/trn.2018.5 [academia]


From the Abstract
This article synthesizes and links together evidence published thus far in secondary literature in order to highlight the contribution of Nusantara to the genesis and circulation of various forms of Sanskritic Buddhism across Asia from the fifth to the fourteenth century. It places particular emphasis on its expansion via maritime routes. Continue reading “Acri (2018), Nusantara in the Sanskritic Buddhist Cosmopolis”

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Trần, Võ & Sharrock eds. (2018), Vibrancy in Stone

Vibrancy in StoneTrần Kỳ Phương, Võ Văn Thắng, Peter D. Sharrock (eds), Paisarn Piemmettawat (photographs). Vibrancy in Stone: Masterpieces of the Đà Nẵng Museum of Cham Sculpture. Bangkok: River Books. 288 pp. + 324 photographs. ISBN 978 616 7339 99 3. 2,000.00 ฿ (within Thailand). [official site] [official launch] [co-editor Peter D. Sharrock: academia.edu]

Description
The collection of the Đà Nẵng Museum of Cham Sculpture, mostly in sandstone, was gathered from the Champa monuments that were collapsed covered by dense tropical flora for centuries. Only in the late 19th century did the ruined mounds began to attract collectors of antiquities and researchers of cultural heritage. The large undertaking of surveying, recording, clearing and scientifically excavating them took place in the first thirty years of the 20th century, when sculptures from this hitherto little studied culture began to be transferred to the Đà Nẵng Museum of Cham Sculpture, then referred to as the ‘Musée Čam’ or ‘Musée de Tourane’. Continue reading “Trần, Võ & Sharrock eds. (2018), Vibrancy in Stone”

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McGrath (2017), Buddhism and Medicine in Tibet

William McGrath. 2017. ‘Buddhism and Medicine in Tibet: Origins, Ethics, and Tradition’. PhD diss., University of Virginia. 264 pp. DOI:10.18130/V39H1N [PDF]

From the Abstract: Primarily focusing on the literary contributions made by the Drangti family at the Sakya Medical House, the present dissertation demonstrates the process in which the Tibetan medical tradition transitioned from controversy, competition, and change, to a narratively unified set of theories and practices that came to be taught at Buddhist institutions throughout the Tibetan plateau. Continue reading “McGrath (2017), Buddhism and Medicine in Tibet”

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Hua (2016), Buddhist Printing in China under Mongol Rule

Hua, Kaiqi. 2016. The White Cloud Movement: Local Activism and Buddhist Printing in China under Mongol Rule (1276-1368 CE). PhD diss., University of California, Merced. 379 pp. [official repo: escholarship.org/uc/item/2w7452q0] [PDF] [author: academia.edu]

Puning canon mantras
Hua 2016:201 Fig.2, mantras transliterated in ‘Phags pa script in the Puning canon 普寧藏本 [beginning: ꡳꡝ ꡋꡏꡡ ꡎꡁꡓꡊꡠ…]

From the Abstract: This dissertation studies the White Cloud movement in Song- and Yuan-era Jiangnan. […] The movement was mostly led by local laymen rather than monks. Its wealth and reputation peaked with the production of a Buddhist canon during the reign of Khubilai Khan (1276-1294), who provided direct patronage. […] Continue reading “Hua (2016), Buddhist Printing in China under Mongol Rule”