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The Weaving of Mantra Paperback – October 15, 2000

by Ryûichi Abé (Author), Ry&#251ichi Ab&#233 (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 12 ratings
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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.
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 The Weaving of Mantra, 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.

The Weaving 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, Ten Abiding Stages on the Secret Mandalas (Himitsu mandara jujushinron) 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, The Weaving of Mantra 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.
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  1. Print length
    620 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Columbia University Press
  4. Publication date
    October 15, 2000
  5. Dimensions
    9.04 x 6.04 x 1.28 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0231112874
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0231112871
  8. See all details
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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

From the Back Cover

The great Buddhist priest Kukai (774-835) introduced and established tantric -- or esoteric -- Buddhism in early ninth-century Japan. Ryuichi Abe examines this momentous religious figure and his profound influence on Japanese culture. Offering a radically new approach to the study of early religious history that combines historical research, discourse analysis, literary criticism, and semiology, Abe contends that the importance of Kukai's transmission of esoteric Buddhism to Japan lay less in the foundation of a new sect than in his creation of a general theory of language grounded in the ritual speech of mantra. Exploring the rich rhetorical strategies Kukai employed in his works, The Weaving of Mantra illuminates both what his texts meant to his readers and what goals guided the creation of a powerful discourse that ultimately transformed Japanese culture.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Columbia University Press (October 15, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 620 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0231112874
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0231112871
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.84 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.04 x 6.04 x 1.28 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

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Ryūichi Abe

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
12 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Doug M
5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive source for Early Japanese Buddhism, Shingon
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2007
Verified Purchase
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.
9 people found this helpful
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Ed Sharrow
5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed, academic, fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2019
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Shingon Buddhism first appeared in my life when I was a child. Abe's dense and detailed reference has been essential for adding to my intellectual understanding of a period (and a teaching) that continues to reverberate throughout the world today. This is not a casual, entertaining read. It is for someone seeking to learn more about a specific period in the history of Japanese Buddhism.
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Lesovik
5.0 out of 5 stars Dense, but not unnecessarily so
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2013
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About what I expected. Great explanation of mantra, putting it in its historical context. Would recommend to someone interested in exploring shingon.
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Nathaniel Michon
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2014
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amazing scholarship, good writing, a classic
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Bernhard Scheid
5.0 out of 5 stars A Mantra for Abe
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2001
For the first time I read a convincing explanation, what Kukais thinking - and thus also Esoteric Buddhism - was about.
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Luigi Finocchiaro
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an epoch making book
Reviewed in Japan on November 21, 2020
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I highly recomment this book to anyone who studies Buddhism or Kukai in particular. I have nothing to say but praise for this non-sectarian, non-biased, real, authentinc, factual and profoundly accurate book. Not an "easy" book because the footnotes are actually not at the "foot" but at the end and numbered by chapters (damn the editors here) which, considering the size of the book, makes it hard to read. Nevertheless, highly recommendable book and Prof. Abe is a very kind scholar who takes the time to answer the emails from readers and asnwers to questions.
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ykynt623
4.0 out of 5 stars 散種される空海
Reviewed in Japan on May 15, 2005
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今でも、四国88ヶ所めぐりは盛んだ。何の気なしに、宗教的意味合いは意識されずに行われている。「御大師様」は礼楽として生きているといえるだろう。
　ところで、その空海の学説が、伝説としてでなく、60年代のテクスト論、すなわち、デリダの『グラマトロジー』やフーコーの『言葉と物』、さらには、柄谷行人の『近代文学の起源』（！）を踏まえた上で、詳述されるとしたらどうだろう。実際、この本の参照文献は仏典だけでなく、ヨーロッパのテクスト論が目白押しだ。各章の冒頭には、ドゥルーズやフーコー、さらにはニーチェまでもが、引用されている。仏教学者で僧侶で、かつニューヨークのコロンビア大学で教鞭をとっている著者は、密教学者としての空海だけでなく、漢字から日本語の音声に近い、いろは歌、かな文字を作り出した空海に注目し、さらには、空海の学派には、なぜ古今、新古今に採用される、すぐれた歌人が多数輩出されたかを問う。もちろんそこには、デリダの問う音声中心主義、さらには柄谷行人の「エクリチュールとナショナリズム」の反響を見出すことは容易だろう。
　もちろんこうも言える。このような視点は、テクスト観念論に堕す危険性がある。実際、ジジェクは「究極のポストモダンの皮肉」として、タオや西洋仏教の癒し効果こそ、現在のグローバル資本主義の完璧なｲﾃﾞｵﾛｷﾞｰ補完物となっていると、例によってユーモラスともアイロニカルとも見分けがつかない調子で指摘する。タオや仏教に依拠することは、やけくそでかっての伝統に逃げ込むよりは、あきらかに資本主義の力学のストレスだらけの緊張から距離と無関心（実体のともなわない架空の繁栄だ・・・）を維持しつつ、なおかつ、とことん資本主義の力学に参加できる最も効率の良い方法なのだ。マックス・ウェーバーが生きていたら『プロテスタントの倫理』を補足する第二巻『タオの倫理とグローバル資本主義の精神』を書いたに違いない・・・
　しかし、この書物には、上記の視点とは違う探求が明らかにある。詳述できないが、空海の密教の散種の核心が、セクトの確立を目指すものではなく、彼の言語への思考から発せられ、そして、そのことにより、平安末期以降の時代にも、鎌倉新仏教よりも、メインストリームとして人口に膾炙したのだ、という著者の主張からも明らかだろう。
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