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5.0 out of 5 stars Landmark Study of Japanese Shinto-Buddhist Syncretism, June 7, 2005

By	Robert E. Morrell (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Buddhist Philosophy of Assimilation: The Historical Development of the Honji-Suijaku Theory (A Monumenta Nipponica Monograph)

A masterful exploration of the theoretical grounds for the accommodation of Buddhism and Shinto in early Japan which should be in the library of anyone interested in the origins and development of Japanese religion. It is frequently cited in scholarly research, deserves to be even better known than it is, and should definitely be kept in print -- but this will depend, of course, on readership demand.

Following is a summary of the chapters, with a few references to technical terms. In Ch. 3 Professor Matsunaga introduces the origins of the pen-chi ("origin-manifestation") distinction with Kumarajiva, translator of the _Lotus Sutra_ (C.E. 406), q.v., and his disciple Seng-Chao; then its application by the leading philosopher of the T'ien-tai (J. Tendai) sect, Chih-I (538-97) . . . Ch. 6 considers assimilation in the thought of Saicho (767-822), founder of Japanese Tendai, and Kukai (774-835), founder of Japanese Shingon -- the two leading sects of Heian Buddhism. . . Chapters 7-9 examine subsequent development of the theory of honji-suijaku (lit.,"Original Ground - Manifest Trace"), according to which the Shinto gods (kami) are seen as manifestations of one or another Buddha of Bodhisattva.

CHAPTER ONE: The Early Buddhist Philosophy of Assimilation
Basic Viewpoints of Early Buddhism Regarding Divinities; Buddhist Transformation of the Indian Gods; Indian Worship of the Six Directions; Six Direction Worship in Buddhism; Buddhist Assimilation of Yama, Guardian of the South; Buddhist Guardians of the Four Directions; The Buddhist Cosmology and its Significance

CHAPTER TWO: A New Conception of Divinity in Mahayana
Madhyamika and the Basis of Mahayana Philosophy; Yogacara and the Creation of Divinities Representing Philosophical Concepts; New Views of Buddhology--The Concept of the Trikaya; Tantrism and Fresh Emphasis upon Importance of Divinities

CHAPTER THREE: Buddhist Assimilation in China
Buddhism and Taoism; The Origin of Pen-chi (Hon-jaku) Philosophy; The Meaning of Pen-chi; Chih-i and Pen-chi; The Transformation of Avalokitesvara (Kuan-yin) in China; The Thirty-three Manifestations of Avalokitesvara; Kuan-yin and Taoism

CHAPTER FOUR: The First Japanese Encounter with the Philosophy of Assimilation
Belief in the Continuity of Life; Sensitivity to Nature as the Basis of Native Affirmation; Japanese Contact with Buddhist Negation

CHAPTER FIVE: Shimbutsu-shugo (Unification of Gods and Buddhas)
Impacts of Buddhist Morality upon Japan; Buddhism Espouses Nationalism; Healing Cults and Magic; A New View of Death and Immortality; Political and Anti-Buddhist Motivation for Amalgamation

CHAPTER SIX: The 'New' Buddhism of the Early Heian Period and its Methods of Assimilation
Saicho (Dengyo Daishi); Kukai (Kobo Daishi); The 'New' Buddhism and Shimbutsu-Shugo; Influences of Mikkyo; Shugendo, the Living Union of Beliefs

CHAPTER SEVEN: Development of the Honji-suijaku theory--the Heian period
Theoretical Basis; Elevation of Japanese Buddhist Saints; Elevation of the Indigenous Gods; Historical Appearance of the Theory; Political Implications of honji-suijaku;

CHAPTER EIGHT: Practical Application of the Honji-suijaku Theory
Systematized Correlations; Buddha as Honji; Bodhisattva as honji; Deva as Honji; Artistic Expressions of Honji-suijaku; Literary Allusions to Honji-suijaku

CHAPTER NINE: Kamakura Developments and the Honji-suijaku Theory
Nichiren and Honji-suijaku Thought; Honji-suijaku Thought in the Pure Land Tradition; Han (Anti) Honji-suijaku Thought;

Epilogue; Bibliography; Index (also with many monochrome illustrations)

This is a winner!!!