Shin gon is Japanese Tantrism, sect of True Word (Mantranaya). The main body of this work consists of a translation of a 13th c. Japanese work written by a Japanese Buddhist teacher, Gyonen and entitled Hasahu-koyo-kogi. The language and style are archaic and not easy to translate. This is the First ever English translation conducted by the author at the university of Tokyo. This translation is lucid and easy to understand which is a rare feat to achieve. It is followed by explanatory notes.
But the book's other aspect is the Introduction which is the original contribution of the translator. In the Introduction she has tried to relate the basic principles of Shin gon to Indian and Tibetan Tantrism which are not different. She draws the conclusion that the Shin gon no way differs from Indian Tantrism in which it is rooted as the Sarva-tathagata-tattvasarhgraha and Mahavairocana-sutra are the Indian texts in which it is based. |
