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The Body Incantatory : Spells and the Ritual Imagination in Medieval Chinese Buddhism / Paul Copp.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: The Sheng Yen Series in Chinese Buddhist StudiesPublisher: New York, NY : Columbia University Press, [2014]Copyright date: ©2014Description: 1 online resource (400 p.) : 32 b&w illustrationsContent type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9780231162708
  • 9780231537780
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 294.3/438 23
LOC classification:
  • BQ5535 .C67 2014
  • BQ5535
Other classification:
  • online - DeGruyter
Online resources: Available additional physical forms:
  • Issued also in print.
Contents:
Frontmatter -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Preface: The Body Incantatory -- Thanks -- Abbreviations -- Introduction: Dhāranīs and the Study of Buddhist Spells -- 1. Scripture, Relic, Talisman, Spell -- 2. Amulets of the Incantation of Wish Fulfillment -- 3. Dust, Shadow, and the Incantation of Glory -- 4. Mystic Store and Wizards' Basket -- Coda: Material Incantations and the Study of Medieval Chinese Buddhism -- Appendix 1. Suiqiu Amulets Discovered in China -- Appendix 2. Stein No. 4690: Four Spells -- Notes -- Glossary -- Sources -- Index
Summary: Whether chanted as devotional prayers, intoned against the dangers of the wilds, or invoked to heal the sick and bring ease to the dead, incantations were pervasive features of Buddhist practice in late medieval China (600-1000 C.E.). Material incantations, in forms such as spell-inscribed amulets and stone pillars, were also central to the spiritual lives of both monks and laypeople. In centering its analysis on the Chinese material culture of these deeply embodied forms of Buddhist ritual, The Body Incantatory reveals histories of practice-and logics of practice-that have until now remained hidden.Paul Copp examines inscribed stones, urns, and other objects unearthed from anonymous tombs; spells carved into pillars near mountain temples; and manuscripts and prints from both tombs and the Dunhuang cache. Focusing on two major Buddhist spells, or dharani, and their embodiment of the incantatory logics of adornment and unction, he makes breakthrough claims about the significance of Buddhist incantation practice not only in medieval China but also in Central Asia and India. Copp's work vividly captures the diversity of Buddhist practice among medieval monks, ritual healers, and other individuals lost to history, offering a corrective to accounts that have overemphasized elite, canonical materials.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number URL Status Notes Barcode
eBook eBook Biblioteca "Angelicum" Pont. Univ. S.Tommaso d'Aquino Nuvola online online - DeGruyter (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Online access Not for loan (Accesso limitato) Accesso per gli utenti autorizzati / Access for authorized users (dgr)9780231537780

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Preface: The Body Incantatory -- Thanks -- Abbreviations -- Introduction: Dhāranīs and the Study of Buddhist Spells -- 1. Scripture, Relic, Talisman, Spell -- 2. Amulets of the Incantation of Wish Fulfillment -- 3. Dust, Shadow, and the Incantation of Glory -- 4. Mystic Store and Wizards' Basket -- Coda: Material Incantations and the Study of Medieval Chinese Buddhism -- Appendix 1. Suiqiu Amulets Discovered in China -- Appendix 2. Stein No. 4690: Four Spells -- Notes -- Glossary -- Sources -- Index

restricted access online access with authorization star

http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec

Whether chanted as devotional prayers, intoned against the dangers of the wilds, or invoked to heal the sick and bring ease to the dead, incantations were pervasive features of Buddhist practice in late medieval China (600-1000 C.E.). Material incantations, in forms such as spell-inscribed amulets and stone pillars, were also central to the spiritual lives of both monks and laypeople. In centering its analysis on the Chinese material culture of these deeply embodied forms of Buddhist ritual, The Body Incantatory reveals histories of practice-and logics of practice-that have until now remained hidden.Paul Copp examines inscribed stones, urns, and other objects unearthed from anonymous tombs; spells carved into pillars near mountain temples; and manuscripts and prints from both tombs and the Dunhuang cache. Focusing on two major Buddhist spells, or dharani, and their embodiment of the incantatory logics of adornment and unction, he makes breakthrough claims about the significance of Buddhist incantation practice not only in medieval China but also in Central Asia and India. Copp's work vividly captures the diversity of Buddhist practice among medieval monks, ritual healers, and other individuals lost to history, offering a corrective to accounts that have overemphasized elite, canonical materials.

Issued also in print.

Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

In English.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 02. Mrz 2022)