Since its arrival in Japan in the sixth century, Buddhism has played a central role in Japanese culture. But the historical figure of the Buddha, the prince of ancient Indian descent who abandoned his wealth and power to become an awakened being, has repeatedly disappeared and reappeared, emerging each time in a different form and to different ends. This book traces this transformation of concepts of the Buddha, from Japan's ancient period in the eighth century to the end of the Meiji period in the early twentieth century.
目次
Illustrations vii Acknowledgments ix Conventions xi Introduction: A Buddha without Buddhism 1 One The Buddha as Preceptor 22 Two The Buddha as Local Hero 61 Three The Buddha as Exemplar 96 Four The Buddha as Fraud 119 Five The Buddha as Character 165 Conclusion Sage as Story 234 Note 251 Works Cited 299 Finding Aid for Names and Terms 327 Index 345
