Although rarely acknowledged, Buddhist monastics are among the most active lawmakers and jurists in Asia, operating sophisticated networks of courts and constitutions while also navigating—and shaping—secular legal systems. This book provides the first in-depth study of Buddhist monastic law and its entanglements with state law in Sri Lanka from 1800 to the present. Rather than a top-down account of colliding legal orders, Schonthal draws on nearly a decade of archival, ethnographic and empirical research to document the ways that Buddhist monks, colonial officials and contemporary lawmakers reconcile the laws of the Buddha and the laws of the land 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 yields new insights into how societies manage multi-legality and why legal pluralism leads to conflict in some settings and to compromise in others.

‘Benjamin Schonthal’s book is a fascinating exploration that reveals multiple layers of legal pluralism in connection with Buddhist monastic law in Sri Lanka. The range and the details of his analysis are extraordinary, combining historical accounts of colonial law with archival research and extensive interviews, informed by a sophisticated understanding of legal pluralism in general. Schonthal adeptly weaves together an overarching view with illustrative situations to produce a persuasive, nuanced account of how legal pluralism is practiced on the ground. This book will reward anyone interested in law in Sri Lanka, Buddhist law, legal anthropology, and legal pluralism.’

Brian Z. Tamanaha - John S. Lehmann University Professor, Washington University

‘In the presence of a number of works dealing with exposition of the Vinaya rules, Schonthal’s work stands out in two important respects: it brings Theravada Vinaya, one of the world’s most ancient ecclesiastical disciplinary systems, to bear on contemporary social and political issues, and it substantiates its findings using extensive field research, the ‘field’ itself being almost inaccessible to the uninitiated. His study is not on the Vinaya as found in sacred Pali texts, but on how it maintains its vibrance and relevance in the context of the modern state legal system. The implications of the work go well beyond its particular context of Sri Lanka, and South East Asia, to reach the larger field of religious law beyond boundaries.’

Asanga Tilakaratane - Professor Emeritus, Buddhist Studies, University of Colombo

‘This impressive book offers a convincing rejoinder to those who might consider Buddhism an otherworldly religion with a monastic code detached from the laws of civil society. Schonthal demonstrates that religion and state law in Sri Lanka are intricately interconnected and in constant interaction with one another. This is a model of interdisciplinary scholarship drawing on historical investigation, participant observation, ethnographic interviews, and survey research. Schonthal’s richly reported findings shed new light on religion and legal pluralism in the world today.’

David Engel - SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, University of Buffalo Law School