Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement

by Ronald M. Davidson

Description

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, show more 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. show less

Recommendations

The Dhammapada by Anonymous

The Dhammapada

Anonymous

Mipham's Beacon of Certainty: Illuminating the View of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection by John W. Pettit

Mipham's Beacon of Certainty: Illuminating the View of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection

John W. Pettit

Vajrayogini: Her Visualizations, Rituals, and Forms by Elizabeth English

Vajrayogini: Her Visualizations, Rituals, and Forms

Elizabeth English

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

Chogyam Trungpa

Approaching the Great Perfection: Simultaneous and Gradual Methods of Dzogchen Practice in the Longchen Nyingtig by Sam Van Schaik

Approaching the Great Perfection: Simultaneous and Gradual Methods of Dzogchen Practice in the Longchen Nyingtig

Sam Van Schaik

Luminous Lives: The Story of the Early Masters of the Lam 'bras in Tibet (Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism) by Cyrus Stearns

Luminous Lives: The Story of the Early Masters of the Lam 'bras in Tibet (Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism)

Cyrus Stearns

Entering the Stream: An Introduction to the Buddha and His Teachings by Samuel Bercholz

Entering the Stream: An Introduction to the Buddha and His Teachings

Samuel Bercholz

Tibetan Book of the Dead: Or, The After-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup's English Rendering by W. Y. Evans-Wentz

Tibetan Book of the Dead: Or, The After-Death Experiences on the Bardo Plane, according to Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup's English Rendering

W. Y. Evans-Wentz

Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Indian Buddhists & Their Tibetan Successors by David Snellgrove

Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Indian Buddhists & Their Tibetan Successors

David Snellgrove

Highest Yoga Tantra by Daniel Cozort

Highest Yoga Tantra

Daniel Cozort

The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism: Conversion, Contestation, and Memory by Matthew T. Kapstein

The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism: Conversion, Contestation, and Memory

Matthew T. Kapstein

The Buddhist Handbook: A Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice, and History by John Snelling

The Buddhist Handbook: A Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice, and History

John Snelling

Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World by Lama Surya Das

Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World

Lama Surya Das

The Buddha From Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen by Cyrus Stearns

The Buddha From Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen

Cyrus Stearns

Creation and Completion: Essential Points of Tantric Meditation by Jamgon Kongtrul

Creation and Completion: Essential Points of Tantric Meditation

Jamgon Kongtrul

The Golden Letters by John Myrdhin Reynolds

The Golden Letters

John Myrdhin Reynolds

Wisdom of Buddha: The Samdhinirmochana Sutra by John Powers

Wisdom of Buddha: The Samdhinirmochana Sutra

John Powers

Tibetan Renaissance: Tantric Buddhism in the Rebirth of Tibetan Culture by Ronald M. Davidson

Tibetan Renaissance: Tantric Buddhism in the Rebirth of Tibetan Culture

Ronald M. Davidson

The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation by Chogyam Trungpa

The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation

Chogyam Trungpa

The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk by Georges B. J. Dreyfus

The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk

Georges B. J. Dreyfus

Buddhism Between Tibet and China by Matthew Kapstein

Buddhism Between Tibet and China

Matthew Kapstein

Buddhist Teaching in India by Johannes Bronkhorst

Buddhist Teaching in India

Johannes Bronkhorst

The Words of My Perfect Teacher by Patrul Rinpoche

The Words of My Perfect Teacher

Patrul Rinpoche

Myriad Worlds (The Treasury of Knowledge, Book 1) by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye

Myriad Worlds (The Treasury of Knowledge, Book 1)

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye

A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life by Shantideva

A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life

Shantideva

Passionate Enlightenment: Women in Tantric Buddhism by Miranda Shaw

Passionate Enlightenment: Women in Tantric Buddhism

Miranda Shaw

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing In The Bardo by Francesca Fremantle

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing In The Bardo

Francesca Fremantle

Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism by Reginald A. Ray

Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism

Reginald A. Ray

Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet by Reginald A. Ray

Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet

Reginald A. Ray

The Dalai Lamas on Tantra by Glenn H. Mullin

The Dalai Lamas on Tantra

Glenn H. Mullin

Overview of Buddhist Tantra by Soam Dragpa Panchen

Overview of Buddhist Tantra

Soam Dragpa Panchen

The Practice of Kalachakra by Glenn H. Mullin

The Practice of Kalachakra

Glenn H. Mullin

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Sogyal Rinpoche

Essential Tibetan Buddhism by Robert A. F. Thurman

Essential Tibetan Buddhism

Robert A. F. Thurman

Yoga Tantra: Paths to Magical Feats by H.H. the Dalai Lama

Yoga Tantra: Paths to Magical Feats

H.H. the Dalai Lama

The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal

The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep

Tenzin Wangyal

Mountain Doctrine: Tibet's Fundamental Treatise on Other-Emptiness and the Buddha Matrix by Jeffrey Hopkins

Mountain Doctrine: Tibet's Fundamental Treatise on Other-Emptiness and the Buddha Matrix

Jeffrey Hopkins

Tantric Practice in Nying-ma by Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay

Tantric Practice in Nying-ma

Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay

Magic and Mystery in Tibet by Alexandra David-Néel

Magic and Mystery in Tibet

Alexandra David-Néel

No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva by Pema Chödrön

No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva

Pema Chödrön

The Hevajra Tantra: A Critical Study by D. L. Snellgrove

The Hevajra Tantra: A Critical Study

D. L. Snellgrove

Buddhist Ethics by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye

Buddhist Ethics

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye

The Dark Red Amulet: Oral Instructions on the Practice of Vajrakilaya by Kenchen Palden Sherab

The Dark Red Amulet: Oral Instructions on the Practice of Vajrakilaya

Kenchen Palden Sherab

Crazy Wisdom (Dharma Ocean) by Chogyam Trungpa

Crazy Wisdom (Dharma Ocean)

Chogyam Trungpa

Journey Without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddha by Chogyam Trungpa

Journey Without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddha

Chogyam Trungpa

Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism by Judith Simmer-Brown

Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism

Judith Simmer-Brown

Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chödrön

Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living

Pema Chödrön

Tantra in Tibet by Dalai Lama

Tantra in Tibet

Dalai Lama

You Are the Eyes of the World by Longchenpa

You Are the Eyes of the World

Longchenpa

Transcending Time: An Explanation of the Kalachakra Six-Session Guruyoga by Gen Lamrimpa

Transcending Time: An Explanation of the Kalachakra Six-Session Guruyoga

Gen Lamrimpa

Complete Recommendations

Member Reviews

Featured Recent Thumbs

All Ratings
1
½1
1

1 review

jvalamala 41 reviews

The author is evidently intelligent, learned and blessed. This work is like a very large mountain - arriving at the top you are left both out of breath and speechless.

Ratings