{"product_id":"spells-images-and-mandalas-tracing-the-evolution-of-esoteric-buddhist-rituals-hardcover","title":"Spells, Images, and Mandalas: Tracing the Evolution of Esoteric Buddhist Rituals - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKoichi Shinohara\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKoichi Shinohara traces the evolution of Esoteric Buddhist rituals from the simple recitation of spells in the fifth century to complex systems involving image worship, mandala initiation, and visualization practices in the ninth century. He presents an important new reading of a seventh-century Chinese text called the \u003ci\u003eCollected Dharani Sutras\u003c\/i\u003e, which shows how earlier rituals for specific deities were synthesized into a general Esoteric initiation ceremony and how, for the first time, the notion of an Esoteric Buddhist pantheon emerged. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the\u003ci\u003e Collected Dharani Sutras\u003c\/i\u003e, rituals for specific deities were typically performed around images of the deities, yet Esoteric Buddhist rituals in earlier sources involved the recitation of spells rather than the use of images. The first part of this study explores how such simpler rituals came to be associated with the images of specific deities and ultimately gave rise to the general Esoteric initiation ceremony described in the crucial example of the All-Gathering mandala ritual in the \u003ci\u003eCollected Dharani Sutras\u003c\/i\u003e. The visualization practices so important to later Esoteric Buddhist rituals were absent from this ceremony, and their introduction would fundamentally change Esoteric Buddhist practice. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis study examines the translations of dharani sutras made by Bodhiruci in the early eighth century and later Esoteric texts, such as Yixing's commentary on the \u003ci\u003eMahavairocana\u003c\/i\u003e sutra and Amoghavajra's ritual manuals, to show how incorporation of visualization greatly enriched Esoteric rituals and helped develop elaborate iconographies for the deities. Over time, the ritual function of images became less certain, and the emphasis shifted toward visualization. This study clarifies the complex relationship between images and ritual, changing how we perceive Esoteric Buddhist art as well as ritual.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eKoichi Shinohara teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at Yale University. He is the coauthor of \u003ci\u003eSpeaking of Monks: Religious Biography in India and China\u003c\/i\u003e and the coeditor of \u003ci\u003eImages in Asian Religions: Texts and Contexts\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSins and Sinners: Perspectives from Asian Religions\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 05, 2014\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52403636863281,"sku":"9780231166140","price":124.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0958\/3486\/5969\/files\/bTlmblE1WWxFb0hBcTVNWGpjZ2w2dz09.webp?v=1768921903","url":"https:\/\/www.welibooks.com\/products\/spells-images-and-mandalas-tracing-the-evolution-of-esoteric-buddhist-rituals-hardcover","provider":"Welibooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}