Placating the Demons
Book Description
In the rich spiritual landscape of Sri Lanka, ancient practices continue to shape how people understand and navigate life's challenges. Gananath Obeyesekere offers readers a thoughtful exploration of ceremonial traditions that have endured for centuries, revealing how communities address misfortune, illness, and spiritual disturbance through ritual and symbolic action.
This scholarly yet accessible work examines the intricate world of demon-related ceremonies, where practitioners seek to restore balance when supernatural forces are believed to cause suffering. Obeyesekere guides readers through the fascinating realm of spirit possession and trance states, showing how mediums serve as bridges between the physical and spiritual worlds. The book illuminates the puna-yāgaya ceremony and other ritual practices that demonstrate humanity's enduring quest to heal and protect through sacred action.
Beyond traditional ceremonies, the author explores how classical Ayurvedic healing principles intersect with spiritual practice, and how some demons transform into protective divinities over time. These urban ceremonial adaptations reveal how ancient wisdom evolves while maintaining its essential purpose. The work also examines how Buddhist ceremonial practices have woven themselves into Sri Lankan consciousness, eventually finding expression in contemporary cultural performances.
For readers interested in understanding how different cultures approach spiritual healing and protection, this comprehensive study offers valuable insights into the enduring power of ritual to address human suffering and seek divine intervention.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Short (< 200 pages) (~4 hours)
📄 Length: 160 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Démonologie bouddhique
- ✓ Explore Buddhist demonology
- ✓ Explore RELIGION / History
- ✓ Explore Religious life and customs
- ✓ Understand Buddhist philosophy and practice
- ✓ Explore Customs and practices
- ✓ Explore Folklore
- ✓ Explore RELIGION / Buddhism / Rituals & Practice
