Buddhism and the musical cultures of Asia: A critical literature survey

This article surveys over three hundred scholarly works that examine music and Buddhism, published in twelve different languages. As ethnographic and historical research broadens our knowledge of Buddhist musical cultures, inquiries into specific research topics bring both Buddhism and Buddhist music into sharper focus, particularly when pursued from cross-cultural perspectives. Buddhist musicology, in its ethnographic, folkloric, textual historical, and musicological dimensions, has tremendous and broad-based momentum. It is a rapidly growing field with much to offer, particularly if lingering obstacles separating the many scholarly literatures on Buddhist music can be bridged.