Esoteric Buddhist Painting

Synopsis of Esoteric Buddhist Painting

«Esoteric Buddhist Painting» is Hisatoyo Ishida's study of Japanese esoteric Buddhist painting, published by Kodansha International in paperback.

Esoteric Buddhism (‘secret Buddhism’ in Japanese) transmits its teachings in a reserved manner and holds that the cosmos fits within a single thought and that a single thought contains the cosmos, so that anyone can become a buddha. The book examines Japanese esoteric painting from three aspects: doctrine, meditative practice, and art, and comments on works showing one or more buddhas.

Text in English. 204 pages. Translation and adaptation by E. Dale Saunders. Original Japanese: Mikkyōga (1969). Volume 15 of the Japanese Arts Library series. Includes bibliography (pp. 186-197) and index.

Reference work for those interested in Buddhist art, Japanese painting, and esoteric religious symbolism.