Semiotics as soteriology: A Different look at mediaeval Japanese Buddhism

Abstract

Language (and sign systems in general) has always been a major focus of both doctrinal and ritual attention in the various Buddhist traditions; this chapter will explore some of the more explicit semiotic components of Buddhist thought, with special emphasis on medieval Japanese Esoteric (or Tantric) Buddhism (mikkyo). First, I will present a general overview of the principal doctrinal themes and ritual methodologies related to language, with special emphasis on different standpoints concerning language (as, variously, an arbitrary symbol, an index, or an icon-to borrow C.S. Peirce's terminology), the role of translation, and the importance of proliferation of linguistic statements in Buddhism.Next, I will focus on the discourse, explicitly semiotic in nature and content, which was developed by the Shingon tradition of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. In particular, I will discuss, with concrete examples, the role of language in Esoteric soteriology in its connections with ontology, epistemology, and the representation of the sacred in general. Finally, I will conclude by suggesting some possible research directions.