Preface; Abbreviations; Ch01. Buddhist Women in Early India; Ch02. Marriage and Meaning in Late Vedic and Classical Hinduism; Ch03. Marriage and Meaning in Indian Buddhism; Ch04. How Should a Daughter Renounce?; Ch05. Suprabhā, Kāśisundarī, and the Indic Svayaṃvara; Ch06. Other Women, Other Walks of Life; Ch07. Some Conclusions and Observations; Appendix One. Dating the Avadānaśataka; Appendix Two. Sectarian Affiliation of the Avś; Glossary; Bibliography; Index; About the Author
Summary
This study uses ten stories from the Avadānaśataka, the collection of Buddhist narratives compiled from the second to fifth centuries CE, to examine the social landscape of early India. The author analyzes marital customs and the development of nuns' hagiographies, while revealing regional variations of Buddhism in South Asia during this period
