A.G.S. Kariyawasam

Buddhist Ceremonies and Rituals of Sri Lanka, by A.G.S. Kariyawasam (Buddhist Publication Society Wheel Publication No. 402-4; 1995; 150k/50pp.)

This booklet provides a concise survey of the cermonies and rituals that make up the popular Buddhism of Sri Lanka, the ancient stronghold of Theravada Buddhism. The author discusses such Buddhist rites as the Refuges and Precepts, devotional worship, the Bodhi-puja, and the pirit ceremony. He explains the major Buddhist holy days and their significance in Sri Lanka. In the last two chapters he explores the colorful tovil and bali rituals and the practice of deva-worship, two originally non-Buddhist practices that have been assimilated into popular Buddhism in Sri Lanka. [From the back cover]