Mudras occupy an important place in Buddhist and Hindu religious practices as these signify special meanings, associated with specific divinities and rites, which cannot be represented any other way. This book is a dictionary of mudras in Hindu and Buddhist religious practices that lists the various mudras - deity-centred, rite-centred, yogic-centred, and so on - illustrating each with a simple drawing drawn generally from the perspective of one holding the mudra. It contains detailed notes that give numerous references to literary and other sources that reveal a lot about the mudras - their descriptions in the texts, rites associated with the mudras in the texts as well as the varied interpretations of a number of mudras in the different texts. The book also has an introduction on Hindu and Buddhist mudras that goes into iconographic features associated with deities along with the technical descriptions and the subcategories and further divisions into which mudras are arranged. It scrutinises the work done by a number of scholars on the subject to throw further light on the subject. The volume will prove indispensable to all students and scholars who are engaged in study of Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions and practices.

This Dictionary Attempts To Reveal The Divine Paradoxes Of Buddhist-Hindu Iconography By Even Interpreting The Nuances Of Their Iconic Language. It Explains, Vividly, Thousands Of Iconic Representations (Visual, Conceptual Symbols, Images, Objects, Concepts, Rites).

The Book, Highlights The Essential Import Of The Innocuous-Looking, Yet Enigmatic, Diagrams Called Yantras Surfacing From The Occult Practices Of The Tantrics. It Examines A Range Of Tantric Yantras, With Their Varieties, Applications, Modes Of Construction And Above All Their Iconographic Features.

criticism and assessment of the evidence. It combines a ruthless brevity

The Book Studies The 360 Icons Of The Chu Fo P U-Sa Sheng Hsiang Tsan Pantheon Referring To A Rare Set Of Woodcuts Distinct Among Buddhist Pantheons. It Analyses The Unique Features Of This Pantheon, Pointing Out The Significance Of Each Figure In The Mythological/Theological Framework And Minutely Describing The Iconography Of The Images.

A Fundamental Work Based On Original Sanskrit, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, The Lost Iranian Language Sogdian And Tibetan Works-On The Origin Of Avalokitesvara. It Indentifies The Several Prevalent Folk-Deities Which Were Assimilated Into The Iconographical Form. The Worship Of Avalokitesvara Was Accompanied By A Dharani (Recited Hymn). This Work Describes Five Versions Of Thedharani. The Dharani Is An Essential Part Of The Zen Repertoire Of Sutras. It Was Transliterated Into Chinese Eight Times Over A Span Of Eight Enturies: From The 7 Th To The 14 Th Century. The Present Edition Is Not Only A Reconstruction Of The Original Sanskrit Text Of The Hymn, But A Detailed Study With The Texts Of Bhagavad-Dharma Amoghavajra, Vajrabodhi And Chih-T Ung In Chinese Characters. The Korean, Sogdian, And Tibetan Texts Are Also Given In Their Indigenous Scripts. Siddham Manuscripts From Korea And Japan Have Been Done In Facsimile. Popular Iconic Vocabulary Becomes The Essence Of Ever-Renewing Theogony. From An Attendant Acolyte Of Amitabha In The Sukhavativyuha, Avalokita Gained Independence As A Separate Deity In His Own Right. The System Of Iconographic Classification Of 33 Types, With Their Symbols, Bijas And Mudras Presents A New Model For Buddhist Iconographic Studies. The Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Tibetan And Sogdian Transliterations Of Sanskrit Hymns To The Thousand-Eyed, Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara Have The Attributes Of Hari And Hara And Have The Faces Of Narasimha And Varaha. In Reconstructing These Versions It Became Imperative That Sanskrit Texts Bearing On Harihara Be Consulted And The Iconography Of Harihara Be Analysed With Precision. The 36 Orphological Types Of Harihara Have Been Defined In A Succinct Manner On The Principles Of Icono-Taxonomy. A Novel Departure In The Study Of The History Of Art. Comparison Has Resulted In The Discovery Of The Mythogenesis Of Primal Arya Avalokitesvara, As Well As His Form With A Thousand Arms, With A Thousand Eyes On Each Of The Thousand Palms. The Emergence Of The Thousand Armed Avalokitesvara Is Linked With The Interiorisation Of Isvara-Siva Into Avalokita As Visvarupa. Amoghavajra S Version Indicates The Connection Of The Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara With The Security Of The State. New New Readings Of The Dharant That Emerge Out Of Comparative Exegesis Are Refreshing Like The Ozone-Laden Morning Air, With A Distinct Character, With Poetic Profundity And Devotional Fervour. While This Volume Resurrects The Dharani, It Traces The Very Origins Of The First Avalokita-Svara, And The Continuous And Perplexing Processes Of Assimilation That Travel Into A Phantasmagoria Of Universes. Avalokita Becomes A Wave Of Many Waves.