Shingon

Shingon: Japanese Esoteric Buddhism is the first comprehensive study of Shingon Buddhism to appear in the English language. The book traces Shingon’s history from its earliest roots in India through to its migration to China and Japan in the eighth and ninth centuries. The book introduces the fundamental metaphysical doctrines of Shingon, its founding scriptures and its views on consciousness and enlightenment. What distinguishes this book from other general introductions to Buddhism, however, is the detailed description of Shingon meditative, mantric and mandala ritual practices, a subject that normally remains within the confines of Shingon monasteries, but has now been made available to lay readers everywhere.