Drawing a wide variety of texts and images from Dunhuang, the six original contributions to this collection advance our understanding of the development of Esoteric Buddhism in late first millennium Tibet and China. Ritual, philosophy, and mortuary practi
Texts on the practices of esoteric Buddhism discovered in the 'library' cave at Dunhuang are the basis for this collection of six essays, with side-by-side English translations included. Among the topics is an essay by Katherine Tsiang (art history, U. of Chicago) on early printed Chinese Buddhist texts (10th- and 11th century) in several collections and their possible use as amulets, with translations of each. Cathy Cantwell and Robert Mayer (both at Oxford U.) offer a lengthy analysis and full transcript, translation, and comparison of a Phurpa consecration rite. Van Schaik (senior researcher, the International Dunhuang Project, at the British Library) discusses Samaya vows in Mahayana monasticism. Each essay concludes with bibliographies of primary and secondary texts, the introduction concludes with a selected bibliography of esoteric Buddhism, and the volume concludes with an index of Dunhuang manuscripts and paintings. The volume is illustrated throughout with b&w images. Annotation ⓒ2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)