Shingon: Japanese Esoteric Buddhism

Taiko Yamasaki

1988 First Edition, Shambhala Publications, Boston
Oversized trade paperback in original decorated wraps in NEAR FINE condition and protected in a clear plastic envelope. (Exceptions are slight foxing spots at the top and leading edge.) 244pp. Illustrated. ***This book is the first comprehensive study of the subject to appear in any Western language. It traces the history of the school from its origins in India and describes the remarkable men who brought the teachings to China and Japan in the eighth and ninth centuries, who translated the texts, and who carried the initiatic chain of teaching.  It discusses the metaphysical doctrines of Shingon, its founding scriptures, and its views on levels of consciousness and stages of samadhi. The whole range of Shingon meditations and exercises are included such as mudras, incantations, and visualizations of deities and symbolic forms hitherto unknown in the west. Appendix. Index.