Stories centering on the lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak) and the magical monk (Somdet To) are central to Thai Buddhism. Historically important and emotionally resonant, these characters appeal to every class of follower. Metaphorically and rhetorically powerful, they invite constant reimagining across time.Focusing on representations of the ghost and monk from the late eighteenth century to the present, Justin Thomas McDaniel builds a case for interpreting modern Thai Buddhist practice th...

Can a Romance Writer Tame a Grumpy Cowboy?Grumpy cowboy Justin Burnett has built an emotional barrier around his heart. All he wants to do is work with the cattle, and yet his Aunt Rose has given him a special task – show a romance writer how a working ranch runs. Having her do the dirtiest jobs on the ranch should send her fleeing, but she's not falling for his tactics. She's doing research and he's part of the plan.Humiliated by her unscrupulous boss, Man...

A provocative and transformative tour through literature as an insight into despair and how to understand it, and why the practice of reading is needed more than ever—based on the wildly popular UPenn course Existential Despair.Imagine a class that meets for eight hours once a week. There are no devices, just one book to read in silence and discuss with the group at the end. No prep. No papers. No final exams. Just read a book and think about it.That’s exac...

A provocative and transformative tour through literature as an insight into despair and how to understand it, and why the practice of reading is needed more than ever—based on the wildly popular UPenn course Existential Despair.Imagine a class that meets for eight hours once a week. There are no devices, just one book to read in silence and discuss with the group at the end. No prep. No papers. No final exams. Just read a book and think about it.That’s exac...

Religious Studies, Theology, and Human Flourishing explores the implications of religious studies and theology for well-being, illuminating connections between theory, pedagogy, and practice with nuance and depth. Contributors to the volume, part of The Humanities and Human Flourishing series, construct and critique various conceptualizations of well-being and different approaches to its cultivation, both inside and outside of the classroom. From north India to the buckle...

This volume provides several perspectives that help practitioners, advocates, and policymakers understand the impact of historical and recent wars on U.S. Military veterans. The chapters address newly recognized conditions, such as moral injury, military sexual trauma, and remote combat trauma as precursors to more serious diagnosable mental health disorders with the goal of addressing how these conditions can be identified and mitigated in future combat operations. The chapters also provi...

This wide-ranging and powerful book argues that Theravāda Buddhism provides ways of thinking about the self that can reinvigorate the humanities and offer broader insights into how to learn and how to act. Steven Collins argues that Buddhist philosophy should be approached in the spirit of its historical teachers and visionaries, who saw themselves not as preservers of an archaic body of rules but as part of a timeless effort to understand what it means to lead a worthy life. He contends t...

This book introduces contemporary Buddhists from across Asia and from various walks of life. Eschewing traditional hagiographies, the editors have collected sixty-six profiles of individuals who would be excluded from most Buddhist histories and ethnographies. In addition to monks and nuns, readers will encounter artists, psychologists, social workers, part-time priests, healers, and librarians as well as charlatans, hucksters, profiteers, and rabble-rousers—all whose lives reflect changes...

This wide-ranging and powerful book argues that Theravāda Buddhism provides ways of thinking about the self that can reinvigorate the humanities and offer broader insights into how to learn and how to act. Steven Collins argues that Buddhist philosophy should be approached in the spirit of its historical teachers and visionaries, who saw themselves not as preservers of an archaic body of rules but as part of a timeless effort to understand what it means to lead a worthy life. He contends t...