In 1956, Theravada Buddhists in Sri Lanka and throughout Southeast Asia
celebrated the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha`s entry into Nirvana and of
the establishment of the Buddhist tradition. This book examines this
revival of Theravada Buddhism among the laity of Sri Lanka, analysing its
origins and its growth up to the present-day. Within the spectrum of
reinterpretations that have comprised the revival, the book focuses on four
important types or patterns of reinterpretation and response. It examines
the rational reformism of the early "Protestant Buddhists" led by Anagarika
Dharmapala and the conservative neotraditionalism of the Jayanti period.
Particular