A Buddhist theory of semiotics : signs, ontology, and salvation in Japanese esoteric Buddhism
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
A Buddhist theory of semiotics : signs, ontology, and salvation in Japanese esoteric Buddhism
(Bloomsbury advances in semiotics)
Bloomsbury, 2013
- : hardback
- : pbk
Available at 15 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [222]-240) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
One of the first attempts ever to present in a systematic way a non-western semiotic system. This book looks at Japanese esoteric Buddhism and is based around original texts, informed by explicit and rigorous semiotic categories. It is a unique introduction to important aspects of the thought and rituals of the Japanese Shingon tradition.
Semiotic concerns are deeply ingrained in the Buddhist intellectual and religious discourse, beginning with the idea that the world is not what it appears to be, which calls for a more accurate understanding of the self and reality. This in turn results in sustained discussions on the status of language and representations, and on the possibility and methods to know reality beyond delusion; such peculiar knowledge is explicitly defined as enlightenment. Thus, for Buddhism, semiotics is directly relevant to salvation; this is a key point that is often ignored even by Buddhologists. This book discusses in depth the main elements of Buddhist semiotics as based primarily on original Japanese pre-modern sources. It is a crucial publication in the fields of semiotics and religious studies.
Table of Contents
Preface: Semiotics and Buddhism
1. The Episteme of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism
2. Semiotics and Ontology: A Pansemiotic Universe
3. Mantra and Siddham: Esoteric Linguistics and Grammatology
4. The Semantic System of Esoteric Buddhism
5. Mandala and the Representation of Reality
6. Semiotic Soteriology
7. Conclusion: Buddhist Semiurgy
Bibliography
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"