Discourse and Ideology in Medieval Japanese Buddhism [Paperback]

The medieval period of Japanese religious history is commonly known as one in which there was a radical transformation of the religious culture. This book suggests an alternate approach to understanding the dynamics of that transformation. One main topic of analysis focuses on what Buddhism - its practices and doctrines, its traditions and institutions - meant for medieval Japanese peoples themselves. This is achieved by using the notions of discourseand ideology and juxtaposing various topics on shared linguistic practices and discursive worlds of medieval Japanese Buddhism.

Collating contributions from outstanding scholars in the field of Buddhist Studies, the editors have created an important work that builds on preliminary work on rethinking the importance and meaning of Kamakura Buddhism published recently in English, and adds greatly to the debate.

Richard K. Payne Preface

Richard K. Payne, with Taigen Dan Leighton Introduction

Dale Wright Metaphor and Theory of Cultural Change: In Search of Skillful Means for Understanding Kamakura Buddhism

Mark Blum The Sangoku-Mapp? Construct: Buddhism, Nationalism, and History in Medieval Japan

Fabio Rambelli Materiality and Performativity of Sacred Texts in Medieval Japan

Richard K. Payne Awakening and Language: Indic Theories of Language in the Background of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism

James Ford Buddhist Ceremonials (K?shiki) and the Ideological Discourse of Established Buddhism in Early Medieval Japan

Mark Unno The Body of Time and the Discourse of Precepts

Ryuichi Abe My?es Mount La?k?: Mantra, Landscape, and Medieval Japanese Poetics

Jacqueline Stone Not Mere Words: Perspectives on the Language of the Lotus S?tra in Medieval Japan

Taigen Leighton The Lotus Sutra as a Source for D?gens Discourse Style

Steven Heine Empl³)