Mediating the Power of Buddhas: Ritual in the Manju'srimulakalpa

By Glenn Wallis

Analyzes a seventh-century ritual manual that provides both a rich source of information of medieval Buddhist life and addresses the ongoing concern of how an adherent can encounter the power of a buddha.

Mediating the Power of Buddhas offers a fascinating analysis of the seventh-century ritual manual, the Ma jusrimulakalpa. This medieval text is intended to reveal the path into a ritual universe where the power of a buddha abides. Author Glenn Wallis traces the strategies of the Ma jusrimulakalpa to enable its committed reader to perfect the promised ritual, uncovering what conditions must be met for ritual practice to succeed and what personal characteristics practitioners must possess in order to realize the ritual intentions of the Buddhist community. The manual itself was written at a key point in Buddhist history, one when Hindu forms of practice were still imitated and on the cusp of the shift from Mahāyāna to Vajrayāna (or Tantric) Buddhism. In addition, the Ma jusrimulakalpa presents a rich compendium of Buddhist life in an earlier era, containing information on a variety of its readers' concerns: astrology, astronomy, medicine and healing, ritual practice, iconography, devotion, and meditation.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0791454126
• ISBN13: 9780791454121
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 279 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher