Empty Vision: Metaphor and Visionary Imagery in Mahayana Buddhism

Visual metaphors in a number of Mahayana sutras construct a discourse in which visual perception serves as a model for knowledge and enlightenment. In the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita) and other Mahayana literature, immediate access to reality is symbolized by vision and set in opposition to...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: McMahan, David (Author)
Format: Electronic Book
Language:English
Subito Delivery Service: Order now.
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: London Routledge 2002
In:Year: 2002
Edition:1st ed.
Series/Journal:Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism Ser.
Further subjects:B Electronic books
B Metaphor
Online Access: Volltext (Aggregator)
Parallel Edition:Erscheint auch als: 9780700714896
Description
Summary:Visual metaphors in a number of Mahayana sutras construct a discourse in which visual perception serves as a model for knowledge and enlightenment. In the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita) and other Mahayana literature, immediate access to reality is symbolized by vision and set in opposition to language and conceptual thinking, which are construed as obscuring reality. In addition to its philosophical manifestations, the tension between vision and language also functioned as a strategy of legitimation in the struggle of the early heterodox Mahayana movement for authority and legitimacy. This emphasis on vision also served as a resource for the abundant mythical imagery in Mahayana sutras, imagery that is ritualized in Vajrayana visualization practices. McMahan brings a wide range of literature to bear on this issue, Including a rare analysis of the lavish imagery of the Gandavyuha Sutra in its Indian context. He concludes with a discussion of Indian approaches to visuality in the light of some recent discussions of "ocularcentrism" in the west, inviting scholars to expand the current discussion of vision and its roles in constructing epistemic systems and cultural practices beyond its exclusively European and American focus.
Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Technical Note on Terms -- Introduction -- 1 The Devaluation of Language and the Privileging of Perception -- Language and Concepts in Early Buddhism -- Abhidharma and Dharma Theory -- Mahāyāna Views on Language and Concepts -- Dialectical Patterns in the Perfection of Wisdom Literature -- Dialectic, Paradox, and Discourse -- The Paradoxical Dialectic and Buddhist History -- Discursive Thinking and the Construction of the Lifeworld -- Perception in Indian Buddhism and Indian Philosophy -- 2 Buddhist Visuality in History and Metaphor -- Vision in Indo-European Language and History -- Metaphors and Their Functions -- Visual Metaphor in Buddhist Discourse -- Related Metaphors for Knowledge and Awakening -- The Meaning and Significance of Space in Buddhist Discourse -- Conclusion -- 3 Orality, Writing, and Authority: Visionary Literature and the Struggle for Legitimacy in the Māhayāna -- Orality In Early Buddhism -- Writing in the Early Mahāyāna -- Writing and the Survival of the Mahāyāna -- Sacred Text and Sacred Site -- Writing and the Visual -- The Buddhavacana and Strategies of Legitimation in the Mahāyāna -- Visionary Literature and Grounds for Legitimacy -- Conclusion -- 4 Realms of the Senses: Buddha Fields and Fields of Vision in the Gandavyūha Sūtra -- Historical Context of the Gandavyūha -- Visionary Literature and Thaumaturgy in India -- Buddha-Fields and Images of Kingship -- Elements of the Narrative -- Vision and Doctrine -- Dialectics of Words and Dialectics of Vision -- Concretization of Metaphor -- 5 The Optics of Buddhist Meditation and Devotion -- Vision and Visualization in Early and Non-Mahāyāna Meditation -- Meditation and Mental Imagery -- Vision and Devotion -- Dharma, Buddha, Stupa, and Saint.
Item Description:Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources
ISBN:1136857192