Review Essay: Once More on Religion and Magic: Daniel Dubuisson's Religion and Magic in Western Culture

Abstract

BULLETIN FOR THE STUDY OF RELIGION 55 ing control of a person’s “soul” (Burmese: leikpya, 77), when we are made to understand that the denial of an enduring “self” or “soul” (Sanskrit: ātman; Pali: atta) is a cornerstone of Pali Buddhist thought. In all The Buddha’s Wizards represents a work of lucid scholarship on a novel topic of interest not only to students of Theravada Buddhism but also to ethnographers, theorists of affect, and historians of religion. Patton presents an eminently readable work with theoretical engagements germane to the times, made all the more enjoyable by his personal anecdotes and obvious investment in his subjects and subject matter.