Courts, Constitutions and Karma: Buddhism, Law and the Practices of Legal Pluralism in Sri Lanka

Law › Others › Law

Courts, Constitutions and Karma: Buddhism, Law and the Practices of Legal Pluralism in Sri Lanka

By Benjamin Schonthal
Cambridge University Press February 2026

Specifications

ISBN-13
9781009706919
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Publication
February 2026
Format
Hardback
Jurisdiction
U.K. ? Countri(es) for reference only

Also available as

Details

Although rarely acknowledged, Buddhist monastics are among the most important and active legal actors in Asia, operating sophisticated networks of courts and constitutions while also navigating and influencing the laws of their country. This book provides the first in-depth account of Buddhist monastic law and its intertwining with state law in Sri Lanka, from 1800 to the present. Rather than a top-down account of colliding 'systems,' Schonthal draws on years of archival, ethnographic and empirical research to offer grounded insights into how Buddhist monks, colonial officials and contemporary lawmakers balance Buddhist ideals and state-legal structures using practices of legal pluralism.

Comparative in outlook and accessible in style, this book not only offers a portrait of Buddhist monastic law in action, it also provides new insights into how societies deal with multi-legality and why legal pluralism may lead to conflict in one setting and compromise in another.

Table of Contents

1. Monastic law, state law and the plurality of legal pluralism in Sri Lanka
Part I:
2. The unity and diversity of Buddhist monastic law
3. Jurisdictionalising Buddhism in colonial Ceylon
4. Practising legal pluralism in the monastery
Part II:
5. Like and unlike 'Law': making a monastic judiciary
6. Law's Karmas: Nirvana, rebirth and the cosmological consequences of monastic law
Part III:
7. Legalising' monastic law: the politics of legal recognition in post-colonial Sri Lanka
8. Constitutionalising Vinaya

Conclusion: pluralising legal pluralism
Glossary
References
HKD 1,450.15 −3%
HKD 1,495.00

Inclusive of HK delivery

Ready to ship
Delivery Time: around 4-5 weeks
Extra 10 working days if shipping address outside Hong Kong
  • Free HK shipping over HK$1,000
  • International shipping to 35+ countries
Order Form
Save

Recommended

You may also be interested in these books:

More titles from Law

View all
Emerging Technology and the Law: Bridging the Gap Between Innovation and Regulation New
Routledge

Emerging Technology and the Law: Bridging the Gap Between Innovation and Regulation

Purvi Pokhariyal; Archana Patel; Navtika Singh Nautiyal; Ambrish Kumar Mishra
HKD 2,168.79
Legal Operations in the Age of AI and Data
Globe Law and Business

Legal Operations in the Age of AI and Data

Olga V. Mack; Humira Noorestani; MbaMemme Onwudiwe
HKD 2,206.75
International Trade with the Middle East and North Africa: Legal, Commercial, and Investment Perspectives New
Routledge

International Trade with the Middle East and North Africa: Legal, Commercial, and Investment Perspectives

Hossein Esmaeili; Vivienne Brand; Susan L. Karamanian
HKD 605.15
Port Economics, Management and Policy 2nd ed New
Routledge

Port Economics, Management and Policy 2nd ed

Theo Notteboom; Athanasios Pallis; Jean-Paul Rodrigue
HKD 819.52
Future-Proof Legal Services: How Innovation, Legal Tech and AI Have Been Reshaping the Legal Market
Hart Publishing

Future-Proof Legal Services: How Innovation, Legal Tech and AI Have Been Reshaping the Legal Market

Riccardo de Caria; Silvia Martinelli
HKD 1,387.10
Intellectual Property in Hong Kong, 4th Edition
LexisNexis Hong Kong

Intellectual Property in Hong Kong, 4th Edition

Douglas Clark
HKD 2,790.00