The Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies

Oxford Handbooks

$437.95

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Oxford University Press Inc
30 January 2025

Tibetan Buddhism; Zen Buddhism; Hinduism; Jainism

Series: Oxford Handbooks

Since the earliest encounters between tantric traditions and Western scholars of religion, tantra has posed a challenge. The representation of tantra, whether in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Tibet, or Japan, has tended to emphasize the antinomian, decadent aspects, which, as attention-grabbing as they were for audiences in the West, created a one-dimensional understanding, and hampered the academic study of the field for more than a century. Additionally, the Western perspective on religion has been dominated by doctrinal studies. As a result, sectarian boundaries between different tantric traditions are frequently replicated in the scholarship, and research tends to be sequestered according to different schools of South Asian, Central Asian, Southeast Asian, and East Asian tantric traditions. The Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies is intended to overcome these obstacles, facilitating collaboration between scholars working on different forms of tantra. The Introduction provides an overview of major issues confronting the field today, including debates regarding the definition and category of ""tantra"" historical origins, recent developments in gender studies and tantra, ethnography and ""lived tantra"" and cognitive approaches to tantra. Using a topical framework, the opening section explores the concept of action, one of the most prominent features of tantra, which includes performing rituals, practicing meditation, chanting, embarking on a pilgrimage, or re-enacting moments from a sacred text. From there, the sections cover broad topics such as transformation, gender and embodiment, ""extraordinary"" beings (such as deities and saints), art and visual expressions, language and literature, social organizations, and the history and historiography of tantra. With co-editors in chief who specialize in the Hindu and Buddhist perspectives, a global pool of contributors, and over 40 chapters, the Handbook aims to provide the definitive reference work in this dynamic field.

By: Oxford Handbooks
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 171mm,
Weight: 3g
ISBN: 9780197549889
ISBN 10: 0197549888
Series: Oxford Handbooks
Pages: 1272
Publication Date: 30 January 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

1. Tantric Studies: Scholarly Issues, Methodologies, and Collaborations Richard K. Payne and Glen A. Hayes Part I. Action 2. Initiation (Abhiṣeka) in Indian Buddhism Ronald M. Davidson 3. The Inner and Outer Worship: The Rhythms of Domestic and Temple Practice in Nepālī Tantra Jeffrey S. Lidke and L. S. Akshunna 4. On the Union of Emptiness and Bliss: Buddhist Thought and Tantric Practice Paul Donnelly 5. Goryū Shintō Goma: Tantric Foundations Richard K. Payne 6. Homa in Jain Traditions. Ellen Gough 7. The Neuroscience of Tantric Practice Geoffrey Samuel and Maria Kozhevnikov Part II. Transformations: Soteriology, Astrology, Alchemy, and Healing 8. Cosmic Process, Philosophy, and Soteriology in the Works of Abhinavagupta Sthaneshwar Timalsina 9. Esoteric Physiology and Subtle Body Systems Glen A. Hayes 10. Transforming the Body by Mastering the Elements, Some Tantric Sources Lubomír Ondračka 11. Cosmology and Embryology in Medieval Japan Anna Andreeva 12. Astrology and Astral Magic in Tantric Japan Jeffrey Kotyk 13. Tantric Dimensions of Alchemy Patricia Sauthoff Part III. Gender, Cosmogony, Embodiment and Power 14. Śrīvidyā and Goddess Traditions: A Critical Historiographic Essay Anna A. Golovkova 15. The Ḍākinī in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism Judith Simmer-Brown 16. Three Shades of Tantric Yoga: Chapter 20 of the Netra Tantra David Gordon White 17. Generative Buddhahood: Enlightened Plants and Trees in Japanese Tendai Esoteric Buddhism Matthew McMullen 18. Embodiment and Subjugation: Exoteric-Esoteric Buddhist Practice in Medieval Japan Eric Haruki Swanson Part IV. Extraordinary Beings: Deities and Founders 19.

Richard K. Payne is Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. He is founding Editor-in-Chief of Oxford Bibliographies: Buddhism. He also established the Pure Land Buddhist Studies Series, University of Hawai'i Press; the Contemporary Issues in Buddhist Studies Series, Institute of Buddhist Studies; and is Senior Editor for Pacific World: Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies. His blog is ""Buddhist Thought and Practice"". Glen A. Hayes is Professor Emeritus at Bloomfield College. He co-founded the Society for Tantric Studies (STS) in 1986, and the Tantric Studies unit of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) in 2002. He also served on the steering committee of the Cognitive Science of Religion unit of the AAR. He in an editor at Religions online, where he has edited issues with papers from STS meetings, as well as on uses of cognitive science in tantric studies. His research areas include the translation and study of medieval Bengali Hindu tantric texts and the uses of conceptual metaphor theory.