The Buddhist Goddess Marishiten: A Study of the Evolution and Impact of her Cult on the Japanese Warrior
InThe Buddhist Goddess Marishiten, David A. Hall provides an in-depth explorationof the Buddhist cult of the warrior goddess Mārīcī; its evolution in India, China,and Japan; its texts and their audience; its rituals; and, finally, its efficacy asexperienced by the Japanese warrior class--thebushiorsamurai. In examining the psychological effects of these rituals on the Japanese warrior thisvolume moves beyond a narrowly focused examination of a religious cult. DavidA. Hall convincingly explains how these rituals aimed at preparing the warrior forcombat and acted as an antidote for the toxicity of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) when the warrior returned from the battlefield. Dr. David A. Hall has trained in Japanese martial arts for over forty-five years.Here, in addition to his martial arts experience, he draws on his military, academic,and religious expertise to explore aspects of Japanese combative culture previouslyinaccessible to most people. Trained as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, David Hall was attached to Third MarineDivision during the Vietnam War Era. He was later ordained as a Tendai Buddhistpriest (1978), and integrated his religious training in Japan with graduate researchat U.C. Berkeley, earning a doctorate in Buddhist Studies with a related field inMilitary history in 1990. Dr. Hall continues to teach and train in classical Japanese martial arts. He iscurrently a professor and Director of CyberWatch at Montgomery College,Maryland, USA.