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Graduate Student
B.A. Carleton College, 1998
M.A. University of Chicago Divinity School, 2001
M.A. University of Michigan, 2005
U of M Affiliation(s)
Center for South Asian Studies
Contact Information
University of Michigan
Email: dvf@umich.edu |
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Fields of Study
Buddhism in South Asia, Indian and Buddhist Philosophy, Hinduism
About David Fiordalis
Dissertation topic: Miraculous Deeds and Extraordinary Powers in Indian Buddhist Narrative and Scholastic Literatures
The traditional folk and religious literature of India is filled with stories of ascetics and gurus who gain extraordinary powers through the practice of religious austerities, ritual sacrifices, and meditation.
Buddhist literature is no exception. In all strata of Buddhist literature from all time periods, there are stories about the extraordinary powers of Buddhist saints who perform miracles to establish the authority of the teacher and strengthen the faith and resolve of followers. In Buddhism, one finds a standard list of such powers that include the ability to fly, walk on water, pass through walls, project replicas of oneself, and travel to heavenly realms. Nor are such notions limited to the so-called popular level. Rather, ideas about the extraordinary insight and superhuman power of yogis and ascetics, or the Buddha and his disciples, are found throughout Indian and Buddhist scholastic and philosophical treatises as well. The belief that any religious teacher worthy of his reputation would possess an array of special powers is part of the “pan-Indian” cultural imaginaire.
My dissertation topic will allow me to trace a common theme through a range of indigenous materials to see the interconnections among narrative and scholastic genres of Buddhist literature and also to identify what make these genres distinct. At the same time, the topic raises a number of interesting philosophical issues of its own. In this literature, ideas about extraordinary powers often revolve around complex sets of beliefs about meditative states, the connections between mental and physical realities, the relationship of knowledge to power, and the nature of the person. At the same time, these texts raise theological issues, including the proper nature of religious attainment and its connection with the goals of the religious life.
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