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Book SynopsisAcademic study of the tantric traditions has blossomed in recent decades, in no small measure thanks to the magisterial contributions of Alexis G. J. S. Sanderson, until 2015 Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford University. This collection of essays honours him and touches several fields of Indology that he has helped to shape (or, in the case of the Śaiva religions, revolutionised): the history, ritual, and philosophies of tantric Buddhism, Śaivism and Vaiṣṇavism; religious art and architecture; and Sanskrit belles lettres. Grateful former students, joined by other experts influenced by his scholarship, here offer papers that make significant contributions to our understanding of the cultural, religious, political, and intellectual histories of premodern South and Southeast Asia. Contributors are: Peter Bisschop, Judit Törzsök, Alex Watson, Isabelle Ratié, Christopher Wallis, Péter-Dániel Szántó, Srilata Raman, Csaba Dezső, Gergely Hidas, Nina Mirnig, John Nemec, Bihani Sarkar, Jürgen Hanneder, Diwakar Acharya, James Mallinson, Csaba Kiss, Jason Birch, Elizabeth Mills, Ryugen Tanemura, Anthony Tribe, and Parul Dave-Mukherji.
Trade Review'To sum up, this is an extraordinary volume on a wide range of subjects. A sizable portion of these essays are of major significance to their respective areas,and all have something worthwhile to offer the study of Indian history. It is a fitting tribute to the brilliant life and work of Alexis Sanderson. Michael Slouber, Western Washington University, Indo-Iranian Journal (2021) 'There is much to appreciate in this book. In brief: it makes a key chapter of the Śivadharmaśāstra accessible for diverse readers through a transparent critical edition and a clear annotated translation; it introduces the reader not just to this text, but to the active scholarly subfield investigating the corpus of early lay Śaiva literature commonly known as the Śivadharma; and it reflects on the methodological principles guiding a philological approach to this corpus. Notably, the book is available as an Open Access ebook thanks to the generosity of the J. Gonda Fund Foundation.' - Hamsa Stainton, McGill University JAOS, 141.4 (2021)
Table of ContentsPreface List of Figures and Tables Notes on Contributors A Note on Alexis Sanderson and Indology Dominic Goodall and Harunaga Isaacson Bibliography of the Published Works of Alexis G.J.S. Sanderson Introduction Part 1 Early Śaivism 1 From Mantramārga Back to Atimārga: Atimārga as a Self-referential Term Peter Bisschop 2 Why Are the Skull-Bearers (Kāpālikas) Called Soma? Judit Törzsök 3 Dressing for Power: On vrata, caryā, and vidyāvrata in the Early Mantramārga, and on the Structure of the Guhyasūtra of the Niśvāsatattvasaṃhitā Dominic Goodall Part 2 Exegetical and Philosophical Traditions 4 Further Thoughts on Rāmakaṇṭha’s Relationship to Earlier Positions in the Buddhist-Brāhmaṇical Ātman Debate Alex Watson 5 Some Hitherto Unknown Fragments of Utpaladeva’s Vivṛti (II): Against the Existence of External Objects Isabelle Ratié 6 Alchemical Metaphors for Spiritual Transformation in Abhinavagupta’s Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī and Īśvarapratyabhijñāvivṛtivimarśinī Christopher D. Wallis 7 On Vāgīśvarakīrti’s Influence in Kashmir and among the Khmer Péter-Dániel Szántó 8 Reflections on the King of Ascetics (Yatirāja): Rāmānuja in the Devotional Poetry of Vedānta Deśika Srilata Raman Part 3 Religion, the State, and Social History 9 Not to Worry, Vasiṣṭha Will Sort It Out: The Role of the Purohita in the Raghuvaṃśa Csaba Dezső 10 Buddhism, Kingship and the Protection of the State: The Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra and Dhāraṇī Literature Gergely Hidas 11 Adapting Śaiva Tantric Initiation for Exoteric Circles: The Case of the Lokadharmiṇī Dīkṣā and Its History in Early Medieval Sources Nina Mirnig 12 Innovation and Social Change in the Vale of Kashmir, circa 900–1250 C.E. John Nemec 13 Toward a History of the Navarātra, the Autumnal Festival of the Goddess Bihani Sarkar Part 4 Mantra, Ritual, and Yoga 14 Śārikā’s Mantra Jürgen Hanneder 15 The Kāmasiddhistuti of King Vatsarāja Diwakar Acharya 16 The Lotus Garland (padmamālā) and Cord of Power (śaktitantu): The Brahmayāmala’s Integration of Inner and Outer Ritual Shaman Hatley 17 The Amṛtasiddhi: Haṭhayoga’s Tantric Buddhist Source Text James Mallinson 18 A Sexual Ritual with Māyā in Matsyendrasaṃhitā 40 Csaba Kiss 19 Haṭhayoga’s Floruit on the Eve of Colonialism Jason Birch Part 5 Art and Architecture 20 The Early Śaiva Maṭha: Form and Function Libbie Mills 21 The Kriyāsaṃgrahapañjikā of Kuladatta and Its Parallels in the Śaiva Pratiṣṭhātantras Ryugen Tanemura 22 Mañjuśrī as Ādibuddha: The Identity of an Eight-Armed Form of Mañjuśrī Found in Early Western Himalayan Buddhist Art in the Light of Three Nāmasaṃgīti-Related Texts Anthony Tribe 23 Life and Afterlife of Sādṛśya: Revisiting the Citrasūtra through the Nationalism-Naturalism Debate in Indian Art History Parul Dave-Mukherji Index
