The Buddhist Goddess Marishiten: A Study of the Evolution and Impact of Her Cult on the Japanese Warrior - Hardcover

Hall, David A

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9004250107 ISBN 13: 9789004250109

Publisher: Brill, 2013

Synopsis

In The Buddhist Goddess Marishiten, David A. Hall provides an in-depth exploration of the Buddhist cult of the warrior goddess Mārīcī; its evolution in India, China, and Japan; its texts and their audience; its rituals; and, finally, its efficacy as experienced by the Japanese warrior class--the bushi or samurai.

In examining the psychological effects of these rituals on the Japanese warrior this volume moves beyond a narrowly focused examination of a religious cult. David A. Hall convincingly explains how these rituals aimed at preparing the warrior for combat and acted as an antidote for the toxicity of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when the warrior returned from the battlefield.

About this title

About the Author

David A. Hall, Ph.D. (1990), U.C. Berkeley, is Professor and Director of the CyberWatch Center at Montgomery College, MD. He has published translations and articles on Japanese Buddhist and warrior culture including An Encyclopedia of Japanese Martial Arts (Kodansha, 2012).

Edition details

• Publisher: Brill
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 9004250107
• ISBN 13: 9789004250109
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 343