Bringing together leading authorities in the fields of Chinese and Tibetan Studies alike, Chinese and Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism engages cutting-edge research on the fertile tradition of Esoteric Buddhism (also known as Tantric Buddhism). This state of the art volume unfolds the sweeping impact of esoteric Buddhism on Tibetan and Chinese cultures, and the movement's role in forging distinct political, ethnical, and religious identities across Asia at large.

Deciphering the oftentimes bewildering richness of esoteric Buddhism, this broadly conceived work exposes the common ground it shares with other Buddhist schools, as well as its intersection with non-Buddhist faiths. As such, the book is a major contribution to the study of Asian religions and cultures.

Contributors are: Yael Bentor, Ester Bianchi, Megan Bryson, Jacob P. Dalton, Hou Chong, Hou Haoran, Eran Laish, Li Ling, Lin Pei-ying, Lu Jianfu, Ma De, Dan Martin, Charles D. Orzech, Meir Shahar, Robert H. Sharf, Shen Weirong, Henrik H. Sorensen, and Yang Fuxue and Zhang Haijuan.

Chinese and Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism, Yael Bentor (Editor), Brill, hardcover, 450 pp, $145.00

Yael Bentor, Ph.D. (1991), Indiana University, is Professor Emerita of Tibetan Studies in the Departments of Comparative Religion and Asian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She has published monographs, translations and many articles on Tibetan Buddhism, including The Essence of the Ocean of Attainments: Explanation of the Creation Stage of the Guhyasamaja, King of All Tantras, 2017.

Meir Shahar Ph.D. (1992), Harvard University, is Professor of Chinese Studies at Tel Aviv University. His research interests span Chinese religion and literature, Chinese martial-art history, and the Sino-Indian cultural exchange. Meir Shahar is the author of Crazy Ji: Chinese Religion and Popular Literature; The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts; and Oedipal God: The Chinese Nezha and his Indian Origins.

CONTENTS: Chinese and Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism
Acknowledgements			ix
List of Figures			x
Introduction by Meir Shahar			1
Part 1: Chinese Perspectives on the Origins of Esoteric Buddhism
	1.	Tantric Subjects: Liturgy and Vision in Chinese Esoteric Ritual Manuals by Charles D. Orzech	17
	2.	Spells and Magical Practices as Reflected in the Early Chinese Buddhist Sources (c. 300-600 CE) and Their Implications for the Rise and Development of Esoteric Buddhism by Henrik H. Sorensen	41
	3.	The Terms "Esoteric Teaching" ("Esoteric Buddhism") and "Tantra" in Chinese Buddhist Sources by Lu Jianfu	72
Part 2: Chan, Chinese Religion, and Esoteric Buddhism
	4.	Buddhist Veda and the Rise of Chan by Robert H. Sharf	85
	5.	A Comparative Approach to Subhakarasimha's (637-735) "Essentials of Meditation": Meditation and Precepts in Eighth-Century China by Lin Pei-ying	121
	6.	The Tantric Origins of the Horse King: Hayagriva and the Chinese Horse Cult by Meir Shahar	147
Part 3: Scriptures and Practices in Their Tibetan Context
	7.	Crazy Wisdom in Moderation: Padampa Sangye's Use of Counterintuitive Methods in Dealing with Negative Mental States by Van Martin	193
	8.	Perception, Body and Selfhood: The Transformation of Embodiment in the Thod rgal Practice of the "Heart Essence" Tradition by Eran Laish	215
	9.	Tibetan Interpretations of the Opening Verses of Vajraghanta on the Body Mandala by Yael Bentor	230
Part 4: Tibetan Buddhism in China
	10.	Ming Chinese Translations of Tibetan Tantric Buddhist Texts and the Buddhist Samgha of the Western Regions in Beijing by Shen Weirong	263
	11.	Sino-Tibetan Buddhism: Continuities and Discontinuities: The Case of Nenghai's Legacy in the Contemporary Era by Ester Bianchi	300
Part 5: Esoteric Buddhism in Dunhuang
	12.	On the Significance of the Arya-tattvasamgraha-sadhanopayika and Its Commentary by Jacob P. Dalton	321
	13.	Avalokitesvara and the Dunhuang Dharani Spells of Salvation in Childbirth by Ma De	338
Part 5: Esoteric Buddhism in the Tangut Xixia and Yugur Spheres
	14.	Notes on the translation and Transmission of the Samputa and Cakrasamvara Tantras in the Xixia Period (1038-1227) by Hou Haoran	355
	15.	Mongol Rulers, Yugur Subjects, and Tibetan Buddhism by Zhang Haijuan	377
Part 7: Esoteric Buddhism in the Dali Kingdom (Yunnan)
	16.	The Chinese Origins of Dali Esoteric Buddhism by Hou Chang	389
	17.	Between China and Tibet: Mahakala Worship and Esoteric Buddhism in the Dali Kingdom by Megan Bryson	402
Index			429