Indian Esoteric Buddhism

A Social History of the Tantric Movement

AvRonald Davidson

Inbunden, Engelska, 2002

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Beskrivning

Despite the rapid spread of Buddhism-especially the esoteric system of Tantra, one of its most popular yet most misunderstood forms-the historical origins of Buddhist thought and practice remain obscure. This groundbreaking work describes the genesis of the Tantric movement in early medieval India, where it developed as a response to, and in some ways an example of, the feudalization of Indian society. Drawing on primary documents-many translated for the first time-from Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tibetan, Bengali, and Chinese, Ronald Davidson shows how changes in medieval Indian society, including economic and patronage crises, a decline in women's participation, and the formation of large monastic orders, led to the rise of the esoteric tradition in India that became the model for Buddhist cultures in China, Tibet, and Japan.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2002-12-18
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:475
Förlag:Columbia University Press
ISBN:9780231126182

Utforska kategorier

Religion: allmänt inom Filosofi och religion
Buddhism inom Filosofi och religion

Mer om författaren

Ronald M. Davidson is professor of religious studies and director of the program in Asian studies at Fairfield University in Connecticut. He is the coauthor (with Steven D. Goodman) of Tibetan Buddhism: Reason and Revelation.

Recensioner i media

A truly pioneering and wide-ranging work-one much to be commended to students of all of the diverse phenomena that Davidson brings within its purview. -- Dan Arnold Journal of Religion This groundbreaking volume will find a primary place on the bookshelf of every serious scholar... This exceptional work deserves a wide audience -- Frederick M. Smith Religous Studies Newsletter This work is unmistakably a rich contribution to research in this area. -- Christian K. Wedemeyer History of Religions

Innehållsförteckning

1. Introduction: A Plethora of Promises 2. Early Medieval India 3. The Medieval Buddhist Experience 4. The Victory of Esoterism and the Imperial Metaphor 5. Siddhas and the Religious Landscape 6. Siddhas, Literature, and Language 7. Siddhas, Monks, and Communities 8. Conclusion: The Esoteric Conundrum Appendix: Probable Pasupata Sites