The medieval period of Japanese religious history is commonly known as one in which there was a radical transformation of the religious culture. This book suggests an alternate approach to understanding the dynamics of that transformation. One main topic of analysis focuses on what Buddhism - its practices and doctrines, its traditions and institutions - meant for medieval Japanese peoples themselves. This is achieved by using the notions of discourse and ideology and juxtaposing various topics on shared linguistic practices and discursive worlds of medieval Japanese Buddhism. Collating contributions from outstanding scholars in the field of Buddhist Studies, the editors have created an important work that builds on preliminary work on rethinking the importance and meaning of Kamakura Buddhism published recently in English, and adds greatly to the debate.
Author(s): Richard Payne
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 288
Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Series Title......Page 3
Title......Page 6
Copyright......Page 7
Dedications......Page 8
Contents......Page 10
Contributors......Page 12
Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 15
1. Introduction......Page 18
2. Metaphor and Theory of Cultural Change......Page 37
3. The Sangoku-mappo Construct......Page 48
4. Texts, Talismans, and Jewels......Page 69
5. Awakening and Language......Page 96
6. Buddhist Ceremonials (Koshiki) and the Ideological Discourse of Established Buddhism in Early Medieval Japan......Page 114
7. The Body of Time and the Discourse of Precepts......Page 143
8. Swords, Words, and Deformity......Page 165
9. "Not Mere Written Words"......Page 177
10. The Lotus Sutra as a Source for Dogen's Discourse Style......Page 212
11. Empty-Handed, But Not Empty-Headed......Page 235
12. "Rely on the Meaning, Not on the Words"......Page 257
Appendix......Page 276
Index......Page 280
