The legend of St. Aūr contained in the Naqlūn homily deals with the foundation history of the church of the archangel Gabriel at the monastery of Naqlūn in the province of Fayyum in Egypt. The... Show moreThe legend of St. Aūr contained in the Naqlūn homily deals with the foundation history of the church of the archangel Gabriel at the monastery of Naqlūn in the province of Fayyum in Egypt. The origins of this still existing monastery date back to the fifth century. After its composition in the eleventh century, the text remained in use till the present and spread all over Egypt and Ethiopia. Apart from the central date, 26 Ba’ūna, the text contains a number of other dates which reflect the liturgical calendar in use at Naqlūn. Moreover, four other homiletic texts and a hymn were identified, each related to the monastery of Naqlūn in a different way, forming evidence of the rich literary tradition that developed at this site from the eleventh century onwards. The texts recall into memory the great saints from earlier periods, such as St. Antony, the father of monasticism, and Samuel of Qalamūn, and link Naqlūn with several other monastic sites in the neighbourhood, giving Naqlūn a place in the history of Egyptian monasticism. The Middle Arabic language of all five texts, its style and its contents, are characteristic of Copto-Arabic hagiographic literature of the Middle Ages. Show less
This study discusses the position of the monasteries in pre-1950s Tibetan societies and how that position was informed by Buddhist monastic ideology. The point of departure is the huge impact of... Show moreThis study discusses the position of the monasteries in pre-1950s Tibetan societies and how that position was informed by Buddhist monastic ideology. The point of departure is the huge impact of monastic Buddhism on Tibetan society, economy, law, and culture. This work examines the impact of Buddhist monastic institutions on Tibetan societies by looking at their monastic policies with regard to organization, economy, justice, and public relations. The primary sources in which these policies can be found are the monastic guidelines (bca’ yig). As this type of literature has not been studied in any detail, this study contains an exploration of this genre, its parallels in other Buddhist cultures, its connection to the Vinaya, and its socio-historical value. The textual study is supplemented with important information gained via oral history methods. It is demonstrates that the monastery was mostly guided by Buddhist monastic law and that it was averse to any societal instability. The monastic guidelines are witness to certain socio-economic changes, but also contain rules that aim to change the monastery in order to preserve it. The monastic institutions’ influence on society was maintained not merely due to existing power-relations, but also because of certain deep-rooted Buddhist beliefs. Show less