Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale

Hints of Martiality in Buddhist Sources in the Pāli Language: Reflections on the Basis of Some Historical-Artistic Elements from Gandhāra

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Abstract

This article will discuss some early references to the martial arts as they appear in the Pāli canon from a historical perspective. At first, a passage involving fighting shows occurring during festivals will be analysed, highlighting the early Buddhist attitude connected with its ascetic background. Then, a possible shift in attitude that occurred during the reign of Aśoka (III century BCE) will be discussed, and some evidence from Gandhāran Buddhism will be introduced, highlighting a developed stage in which Buddhism has integrated into society, negotiating values and coming to terms with foreign elements, such as symposia, bacchanals and martial arts. Eventually, a Pāli account which includes a sympotic party and an early reference to martial arts practiced within an Indian Buddhist monastery will be discussed.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: March 7, 2024 | Accepted: April 14, 2025 | Published July 31, 2025 | Language: it

Keywords Indo-Greek • Pugilism • Pāli Canon • Theravāda Buddhism • Martial Arts • Wrestling • Gandhāra

Copyright © 2025 Bryan De Notariis. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOr/2385-3042/2025/01/007