Esoteric Buddhism at Dunhuang

Esoteric Buddhism at Dunhuang
Author :
Publisher : BRILL
Total Pages : 280
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9789004190146
ISBN-13 : 9004190147
Rating : 4/5 (46 Downloads)

Synopsis Esoteric Buddhism at Dunhuang by :

Esoteric Buddhism in late first millennium Tibet and China is nowhere in evidence so clearly as in materials from Dunhuang. In the original contributions presented here, Robert Mayer and Cathy Cantwell examine the consecrations of the wrathful divinity Vajrakīlaya, while Sam van Schaik considers approaches to the vows of tantric adepts. Philosophical interpretations of Mahāyoga inform Kammie Takahashi’s study of the ‘Questions of Vajrasattva’. The background for later Tibetan tantric mortuary rites are examined in chapters by Yoshiro Imaeda and Matthew Kapstein. In the closing chapter, Katherine Tsiang investigates early printing in relation to esoteric dhāraṇīs, and their role as amulets accompanying the deceased. The collection is an important advance in our understanding of the historical development of Buddhist tantra.

Maṇḍalas in the Making

Maṇḍalas in the Making
Author :
Publisher : BRILL
Total Pages : 336
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9789004360402
ISBN-13 : 9004360409
Rating : 4/5 (02 Downloads)

Synopsis Maṇḍalas in the Making by : Michelle C. Wang

The first scholarly monograph on Buddhist maṇḍalas in China, this book examines the Maṇḍala of Eight Great Bodhisattvas. This iconographic template, in which a central Buddha is flanked by eight attendants, flourished during the Tibetan (786–848) and post-Tibetan Guiyijun (848–1036) periods at Dunhuang. A rare motif that appears in only four cave shrines at the Mogao and Yulin sites, the maṇḍala bore associations with political authority and received patronage from local rulers. Attending to the historical and cultural contexts surrounding this iconography, this book demonstrates that transcultural communication over the Silk Routes during this period, and the religious dialogue between the Chinese and Tibetan communities, were defining characteristics of the visual language of Buddhist maṇḍalas at Dunhuang.

Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia

Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia
Author :
Publisher : BRILL
Total Pages : 1223
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9789004184916
ISBN-13 : 9004184910
Rating : 4/5 (16 Downloads)

Synopsis Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia by : Charles Orzech

This volume, the result of an international collaboration of forty scholars, provides a comprehensive resource on Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in their Chinese, Korean, and Japanese contexts from the first few centuries of the common era to the present.

Esoteric Buddhism and Texts

Esoteric Buddhism and Texts
Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Total Pages : 241
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781003853572
ISBN-13 : 1003853579
Rating : 4/5 (72 Downloads)

Synopsis Esoteric Buddhism and Texts by : Jinhua Chen

This book explores trans-cultural and cross-border transformation of Esoteric Buddhism in East Asia, focusing on the significance of Esoteric Buddhism in relation to some forms of material culture, including rituals, arts, and the construction of sacred space and narratives. In East Asia, Esoteric Buddhism’s influences can be seen across all levels of society: not only in that it achieved a recognizable sectarian identity, but also because elements of esoteric teachings were absorbed by other religious schools, influencing their philosophical tenets and everyday practices. The influence was not confined to the religious sphere: scholars have been paying more and more attention to the significance of Tang Esoteric Buddhism in relation to material culture and the dissemination of Esoteric Buddhist technologies in South, Central, and East Asia. No matter how one looks at a maṇḍala—an integral feature of esoteric practice—or the uncannily expressive statues of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or Yidam that come in all shapes and sizes, or the murals that depict the variegated, mysterious themes of the esoteric tradition, one can always recognise the profound connection between art and Esoteric Buddhism. Esoteric Influences also abound in East Asian literature across different genres, displaying its unique characters both in poetry and prose. Likewise, in architecture, one can readily make out the enigmatic, colorful and distinctive elements characteristic of the esoteric tradition. Monks initiated into the esoteric lineages not only brought Buddhist classics and practices to China, but also advanced knowledge in astronomy, calendarial calculations and mathematical theories. The chapters in this volume investigate the profound and far-reaching impacts wrought by Esoteric Buddhism on rituals, arts, and the construction of sacred space and narratives in East Asia. This book will be beneficial to advanced students and researchers interested in Religious Studies, History and Buddhist studies. It was originally published as a special issue of Studies in Chinese Religions.

Chinese and Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism

Chinese and Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism
Author :
Publisher : Studies on East Asian Religion
Total Pages : 450
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9004340491
ISBN-13 : 9789004340497
Rating : 4/5 (91 Downloads)

Synopsis Chinese and Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism by : Yael Bentor

Bringing together leading authorities in the fields of Chinese and Tibetan Studies alike, 'Chinese and Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism' engages cutting-edge research on the fertile tradition of Esoteric Buddhism (also known as Tantric Buddhism). This state of the art volume unfolds the sweeping impact of esoteric Buddhism on Tibetan and Chinese cultures, and the movement's role in forging distinct political, ethnical, and religious identities across Asia at large. Deciphering the oftentimes bewildering richness of esoteric Buddhism, this broadly conceived work exposes the common ground it shares with other Buddhist schools, as well as its intersection with non-Buddhist faiths. As such, the book is a major contribution to the study of Asian religions and cultures.

Tibetan Tantric Manuscripts from Dunhuang

Tibetan Tantric Manuscripts from Dunhuang
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 434
Release :
ISBN-10 : STANFORD:36105114438182
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (82 Downloads)

Synopsis Tibetan Tantric Manuscripts from Dunhuang by : Jacob Paul Dalton

This heavily indexed descriptive catalogue provides an indispensable doorway into the Tibetan Dunhuang collections. Its publication promises to make possible many further studies of these long-neglected treasures, particular those relating to the esoteric traditions of tantric Buddhism.

The Oxford Handbook of Meditation

The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Total Pages : 1038
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780192536389
ISBN-13 : 0192536389
Rating : 4/5 (89 Downloads)

Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Meditation by : Miguel Farias

Meditation techniques, including mindfulness, have become popular wellbeing practices and the scientific study of their effects has recently turned 50 years old. But how much do we know about them: what were they developed for and by whom? How similar or different are they, how effective can they be in changing our minds and biology, what are their social and ethical implications? The Oxford Handbook of Meditation is the most comprehensive volume published on meditation, written in accessible language by world-leading experts on the science and history of these techniques. It covers the development of meditation across the world and the varieties of its practices and experiences. It includes approaches from various disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience, history, anthropology, and sociology and it explores its potential for therapeutic and social change, as well as unusual or negative effects. Edited by practitioner-researchers, this book is the ultimate guide for all interested in meditation, including teachers, clinicians, therapists, researchers, or anyone who would like to learn more about this topic.

The Conservation of Cave 85 at the Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang

The Conservation of Cave 85 at the Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang
Author :
Publisher : Getty Publications
Total Pages : 476
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781606061572
ISBN-13 : 1606061577
Rating : 4/5 (72 Downloads)

Synopsis The Conservation of Cave 85 at the Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang by : Neville Agnew

The Mogao Grottoes, a World Heritage Site in northwestern China, are located along the ancient caravan routes—collectively known as the Silk Road—that once linked China with the West. Founded by a Buddhist monk in the late fourth century, Mogao flourished over the following millennium, as monks, local rulers, and travelers commissioned hundreds of cave temples cut into a mile-long rock cliff and adorned them with vibrant murals. More than 490 decorated grottoes remain, containing thousands of sculptures and some 45,000 square meters of wall paintings, making Mogao one of the world’s most significant sites of Buddhist art. In 1997 the Getty Conservation Institute, which had been working with the Dunhuang Academy since 1989, began a case study using the Late–Tang dynasty Cave 85 to develop a methodology that would stabilize the deteriorating wall paintings. This abundantly illustrated volume is the definitive report on the project, which was completed in 2010.

Hyecho's Journey

Hyecho's Journey
Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Total Pages : 276
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780226517902
ISBN-13 : 022651790X
Rating : 4/5 (02 Downloads)

Synopsis Hyecho's Journey by : Donald S. Lopez Jr.

"This book is an introduction to Buddhism told as the story of the Korean pilgrim Hyecho, who traveled through the Buddhist world during its eighth-century golden age. Lopez tells the story of Hyecho's journey, along the way introducing key elements of Buddhism--its basic doctrines, monastic institutions, relationship to Islam, and importance of pilgrimage.

Tibetan Zen

Tibetan Zen
Author :
Publisher : Shambhala Publications
Total Pages : 241
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781559394468
ISBN-13 : 1559394463
Rating : 4/5 (68 Downloads)

Synopsis Tibetan Zen by : Sam van Schaik

A groundbreaking study of the lost tradition of Tibetan Zen containing the first translations of key texts from one thousand years ago. Banned in Tibet, forgotten in China, the Tibetan tradition of Zen was almost completely lost to us. According to Tibetan histories, Zen teachers were invited to Tibet from China in the 8th century, at the height of the Tibetan Empire. When doctrinal disagreements developed between Indian and Chinese Buddhists at the Tibetan court, the Tibetan emperor called for a formal debate. When the debate resulted in a decisive win by the Indian side, the Zen teachers were sent back to China, and Zen was gradually forgotten in Tibet. This picture changed at the beginning of the 20th century with the discovery in Dunhuang (in Chinese Central Asia) of a sealed cave full of manuscripts in various languages dating from the first millennium CE. The Tibetan manuscripts, dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, are the earliest surviving examples of Tibetan Buddhism. Among them are around 40 manuscripts containing original Tibetan Zen teachings. This book translates the key texts of Tibetan Zen preserved in Dunhuang. The book is divided into ten sections, each containing a translation of a Zen text illuminating a different aspect of the tradition, with brief introductions discussing the roles of ritual, debate, lineage, and meditation in the early Zen tradition. Van Schaik not only presents the texts but also explains how they were embedded in actual practices by those who used them.