Examining Sri Lanka's religious and legal pasts, this is the first extended study of Buddhism and constitutional law.

Benjamin Schonthal is Senior Lecturer in Buddhism and Asian Religions at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He received his Ph.D. in the field of history of religions at the University of Chicago. His research examines the intersection of religion, law and politics in South and Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Buddhism.

Acknowledgments; Commonly used abbreviations; A note on translation and language; 1. Introduction: religion, law and the pyrrhic constitutionalism of Sri Lanka; Part I. The Past Lives of the Buddhism Chapter: 2. Managing religion at the end of empire; 3. Contesting constitutions in the 1950s and 1960s; 4. Multivalent solutions: drafting the Buddhism chapter; Part II. From Creation to Implementation: 5. Legal battles for Buddhism; 6. Battles within Buddhism; 7. Constitutional conversions; 8. Conclusion: the costs of constitutional law; References; Index.