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Academic study of the tantric traditions has blossomed in recent decades, in no small measure thanks to the magisterial contributions of Alexis G. J. S. Sanderson, until 2015 Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford University. This collection of essays honours him and touches several fields of Indology that he has helped to shape (or, in the case of the Śaiva religions, revolutionised): the history, ritual, and philosophies of tantric Buddhism, Śaivism and Vaiṣṇavism; religious art and architecture; and Sanskrit belles lettres. Grateful former students, joined by other experts influenced by his scholarship, here offer papers that make significant contributions to our understanding of the cultural, religious, political, and intellectual histories of premodern South and Southeast Asia.
Contributors are: Peter Bisschop, Judit Törzsök, Alex Watson, Isabelle Ratié, Christopher Wallis, Péter-Dániel Szántó, Srilata Raman, Csaba Dezső, Gergely Hidas, Nina Mirnig, John Nemec, Bihani Sarkar, Jürgen Hanneder, Diwakar Acharya, James Mallinson, Csaba Kiss, Jason Birch, Elizabeth Mills, Ryugen Tanemura, Anthony Tribe, and Parul Dave-Mukherji.
Contributors are: Peter Bisschop, Judit Törzsök, Alex Watson, Isabelle Ratié, Christopher Wallis, Péter-Dániel Szántó, Srilata Raman, Csaba Dezső, Gergely Hidas, Nina Mirnig, John Nemec, Bihani Sarkar, Jürgen Hanneder, Diwakar Acharya, James Mallinson, Csaba Kiss, Jason Birch, Elizabeth Mills, Ryugen Tanemura, Anthony Tribe, and Parul Dave-Mukherji.
Price: $175.00
Pages: 598
Publisher: Brill
Imprint: Brill
Series: Gonda Indological Studies
Publication Date:
06 August 2020
ISBN: 9789004432666
Format: Hardcover
'To sum up, this is an extraordinary volume on a wide range of subjects. A sizable portion of these essays are of major significance to their respective areas,and all have something worthwhile to offer the study of Indian history. It is a fitting tribute to the brilliant life and work of Alexis Sanderson.
Michael Slouber, Western Washington University, Indo-Iranian Journal (2021)
'There is much to appreciate in this book. In brief: it makes a key chapter of the Śivadharmaśāstra accessible for diverse readers through a transparent critical edition and a clear annotated translation; it introduces the reader not just to this text, but to the active scholarly subfield investigating the corpus of early lay Śaiva literature commonly known as the Śivadharma; and it reflects on the methodological principles guiding a philological approach to this corpus. Notably, the book is available as an Open Access ebook thanks to the generosity of the J. Gonda Fund Foundation.' - Hamsa Stainton, McGill University JAOS, 141.4 (2021)
"This collection of essays is an excellent starting point for a student setting out on the study of Śaiva, Śākta and tantric traditions. It reflects the exemplary standard of philological rigour promoted by Alexis Sanderson along with higher level reflection on meaning and history, showing the importance and impact of these kinds of religion on later thinking and on other areas of Asia. Philology has often come under attack in recent years, but these essays show its importance in understanding religion and culture, and far from being a tool of colonialism, these essays demonstrate how the use of philology actually allows the voice of the other to be heard through the objective system of language and grammar. Professor Sanderson’s work provides a model and a benchmark for scholars to strive for, and the essays in this book are a fine collection that reflect the high standard of their inspirer. With work of this quality, it seems to me that there is an optimistic future for Indology and the history of Indian religions so long as our educational institutions continue to support them." - Gavin Flood, OLZ 119-3 (2024).
Michael Slouber, Western Washington University, Indo-Iranian Journal (2021)
'There is much to appreciate in this book. In brief: it makes a key chapter of the Śivadharmaśāstra accessible for diverse readers through a transparent critical edition and a clear annotated translation; it introduces the reader not just to this text, but to the active scholarly subfield investigating the corpus of early lay Śaiva literature commonly known as the Śivadharma; and it reflects on the methodological principles guiding a philological approach to this corpus. Notably, the book is available as an Open Access ebook thanks to the generosity of the J. Gonda Fund Foundation.' - Hamsa Stainton, McGill University JAOS, 141.4 (2021)
"This collection of essays is an excellent starting point for a student setting out on the study of Śaiva, Śākta and tantric traditions. It reflects the exemplary standard of philological rigour promoted by Alexis Sanderson along with higher level reflection on meaning and history, showing the importance and impact of these kinds of religion on later thinking and on other areas of Asia. Philology has often come under attack in recent years, but these essays show its importance in understanding religion and culture, and far from being a tool of colonialism, these essays demonstrate how the use of philology actually allows the voice of the other to be heard through the objective system of language and grammar. Professor Sanderson’s work provides a model and a benchmark for scholars to strive for, and the essays in this book are a fine collection that reflect the high standard of their inspirer. With work of this quality, it seems to me that there is an optimistic future for Indology and the history of Indian religions so long as our educational institutions continue to support them." - Gavin Flood, OLZ 119-3 (2024).
Dominic Goodall studied under Alexis Sanderson at Oxford (doctorate 1996), joined the École Française d’Extrême-Orient (2000), and is now head of its Pondicherry Centre. He has published editions and translations of Śaiva works, Sanskrit poetry and Cambodian inscriptions. He is joint-editor, with Marion Rastelli, of the Vienna dictionary of tantric terminology (Tāntrikābhidhānakośa).
Shaman Hatley studied under Harunaga Isaacson at the University of Pennsylvania (doctorate 2007), taught at Concordia University until 2015, and is now Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His research mainly concerns Tantric Śaivism, yoga, and medieval goddess cults, and his publications include The Brahmayāmalatantra or Picumata, vol. I, (Pondicherry, 2018).
Harunaga Isaacson, PhD in Sanskrit (University of Leiden, 1995), was a post-doctoral research fellow at Oxford University (1995 to 2000), and held positions at Hamburg University (2000-2002) and the University of Pennsylvania (2002- 2006) before joining Hamburg University as Professor of Classical Indology in 2006. His main research areas are South Asian tantric traditions, especially Vajrayāna Buddhism; classical Sanskrit poetry; Indian philosophy; Purāṇic literature; and manuscript studies.
Srilata Raman studied with Alexis Sanderson between the years 1986-1988, taking her M.Phil under his supervision at Oxford University. She is currently Associate Professor of Hinduism at the University of Toronto and specializes on the textual history of Tamil religion in both its Sanskrit and Tamil iterations, focusing on specific figures in both the Śrīvaiṣṇava and Tamil Śaiva traditions between the 12-14th and the 18-19th centuries.
Shaman Hatley studied under Harunaga Isaacson at the University of Pennsylvania (doctorate 2007), taught at Concordia University until 2015, and is now Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His research mainly concerns Tantric Śaivism, yoga, and medieval goddess cults, and his publications include The Brahmayāmalatantra or Picumata, vol. I, (Pondicherry, 2018).
Harunaga Isaacson, PhD in Sanskrit (University of Leiden, 1995), was a post-doctoral research fellow at Oxford University (1995 to 2000), and held positions at Hamburg University (2000-2002) and the University of Pennsylvania (2002- 2006) before joining Hamburg University as Professor of Classical Indology in 2006. His main research areas are South Asian tantric traditions, especially Vajrayāna Buddhism; classical Sanskrit poetry; Indian philosophy; Purāṇic literature; and manuscript studies.
Srilata Raman studied with Alexis Sanderson between the years 1986-1988, taking her M.Phil under his supervision at Oxford University. She is currently Associate Professor of Hinduism at the University of Toronto and specializes on the textual history of Tamil religion in both its Sanskrit and Tamil iterations, focusing on specific figures in both the Śrīvaiṣṇava and Tamil Śaiva traditions between the 12-14th and the 18-19th centuries.