The Weaving of Mantra [Paperback]

Ryûichi Abé (Author), Ryûichi Abé (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0231112874 | ISBN-13: 978-0231112871 | Publication Date: October 15, 2000

The great Buddhist priest Kûkai (774-835) is credited with the introduction and establishment of tantric -or esoteric -Buddhism in early ninth-century Japan. In Ryûichi Abé examines this important religious figure -neglected in modern academic literature -and his profound influence on Japanese culture. Offering a radically new approach to the study of early religious history -combining historical research, discourse analysis, literary criticism, and semiology -Abé contends that the importance of Kûkai´s transmission of esoteric Buddhism to Japan lay not in the foundation of a new sect but in his creation of a general theory of language grounded in the ritual speech of mantra. embeds Kûkai within the fabric of political and social life in ninth-century Japan and explains how esoteric Buddhism played a crucial role in many societal changes in Japan -from the growth of monasteries into major feudal powers to the formation of the native phonetic alphabet, kana. As Abé illustrates, Kûkai´s writings and the new type of discourse they spawned also marked Japan´s transition from the ancient order to the medieval world, replacing Confucianism as the ideology of the state. Abé begins by placing Kûkai´s life in the historical context of medieval Japan and the Ritsuryo state, then explores his interaction with the Nara Buddhist intelligentsia, which was seminal to the introduction of esoteric Buddhism. The author discusses Kûkai´s magnum opus, () and introduces a number of Japanese and Chinese primary-source texts previously unknown by Western-language scholars. Instead of tracing Kûkai´s thought through literal readings, explores the rhetorical strategies Kûkai employed in his works, shedding valuable light on what his texts meant to his readers and what his goals were in creating a discourse that ultimately transformed Japanese culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a remarkable book about one of the most remarkable figures in the history of Japanese Buddhism...Abe's book will certainly emerge and remain the primary examination of Kûkai's life and thought for many years to come. It is thus a crucial read for anyone interested in early Japanese religion and intellectual history... The Weaving of Mantra provides a very lengthy, detailed, and substantial intellectual historical analysis of Kûkai...[T]his book is a monumental achievement that will fascinate students of Japanese religion and stimulate much discussion among historians.

(Steven Heine Journal of Asian Studies )

Abé has made a major contribution to our understanding of the figure of Kukai, of Esoteric Buddhism, of the political, intellectual and religious situation of the Nara and early Heian periods, and of our view of medieval Japanese Buddhism as a whole. He has command of an impressive range of sources, both classical and modern, and he has a sophisticated grasp of recent theoretical discussions.... Both in the new readings of early and medieval Japanese Buddhism that it advances and in the discussions that it will stimulate, this volume stands as a major addition to the field.

(Paul B. Watt Journal of Asian History )

Review

This is a groundbreaking book of tremendous significance for the study of Japanese Buddhism.... a resounding success. Not only will students of Kukai find ample riches to mine in this impressive magnum opus; it may serve also to stimulate important discussions in the fields of Japanese literary, religious, and political history.

(David L. Gardiner, Colorado College )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 620 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (October 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231112874
• ISBN-13: 978-0231112871
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #564,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Breakthrough for the Study of Esoteric Buddhism, October 20, 1999

By 

David B. Gray ([e-mail]) (Princeton, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Weaving of Mantra (Hardcover)

Dr. Abe has, with his THE WEAVING OF MANTRA, accomplished a rare feat. His book is an in-depth analysis of important era in the history of Buddhism and Japan, which surpasses all other works written on the topic, and which is nonetheless accessible to the non-specialist. Written in an engaging style which informs without resorting to pedantry, Dr. Abe introduces us to Kukai and his social and historical milieu. Focusing on Kukai's construction of Esoteric Buddhism as an innovative category in the field of Buddhist discourse and practice, he avoids the simplistic models of past studies and brings to his topic an analytic sophistication that is matched only by his eloquence.

This work is by far the best book on Kukai and Shingon Buddhism currently available in English, and it should also, hopefully, exert a powerful influence of the field of Buddhist Studies as a whole, for which it should serve as a model for excellent scholarship.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Standard for Esoteric Research, August 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Weaving of Mantra (Hardcover)

Fortunate enough to find this gem in a Kyoto bookstore recently, it was with the greatest pleasure that I savored this book. Abe has indeed set a new standard for true Esoteric Buddhist research, investing within "The Weaving of Mantra" original and insightful ideas concerning Kukai's creation of a new esoteric presentation of Buddhism. Abe brings together not only highly reputable sources here within the Japanese community but original introspection into a period within Japanese Buddhist history that has left its mark on Buddhism as a whole.

The serious student or researcher of Esoteric Buddhism will no doubt require this volume in his/her collection as it now represents the pinnacle of Mikkyo insight. A treasure not to be missed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive source for Early Japanese Buddhism, Shingon, February 21, 2007

By 

Gerald Ford "pho_kin" (The Jack n' the Box at the corner) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Weaving of Mantra (Paperback)

This book is not intended as an introduction to Shingon Buddhism, but rather, provides an in-depth, scholarly look at Nara and Heian-era Buddhism and the rise of Shingon Buddhism. This book is intended for serious scholars of Japanese Buddhism and reads like a college thesis. Professor Abe's research is immense, and he regularly cites the research done by previous Japanese scholars through the book. What I like best about this book is that Professor Abe debunks a lot of long-held beliefs in the academic world regarding Shingon and early Buddhism, such as the myth that Shingon appealed to the upper classes only.

Abe's research on the Mahavairocana and Vajrasekhara sutras also is very valuable as very few books in the West even explain what the sutras are about.

This work may not be your first source to learn about Shingon, but for Japanese historians, this book is a treasure of academic research.