Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780231126199)

Despite the rapid spread of Buddhism--especially the esoteric system of Tantra, one of its most popular yet most misunderstood forms--the historical origins of Buddhist thought and practice remain obscure. This groundbreaking work describes the genesis of the Tantric movement in early medieval India, where it developed as a response to, and in some ways an example of, the feudalization of Indian society. Drawing on primary documents--many translated for the first time--from Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tibetan, Bengali, and Chinese, Ronald Davidson shows how changes in medieval Indian society, including economic and patronage crises, a decline in women's participation, and the formation of large monastic orders, led to the rise of the esoteric tradition in India that became the model for Buddhist cultures in China, Tibet, and Japan.

Author: Ronald Davidson
ISBN-10: 0231126190
ISBN-13: 9780231126199
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Language: English
Published: 12/18/2002
Pages: 475
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.59lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.10w x 1.30d