Visions of Power Imagining Medieval Japanese Buddhism

"In Visions of Power, Faure once again demonstrates his superb command of original sources as well as an innovative methodology that constantly probes uncharted territory and boldly overturns the prevailing assumptions of the orthodox view of a 'pure' iconoclastic Zen tradition... [This book] is eminently successful in carving out a distinct yet complementary agenda in content, method, and approach."--Steven Heine, Monumenta Nipponica "[Faure's] account of Keizan is a convincing conquest of historical vision, and opens up the exciting prospect of similar treatment for a whole gallery of figures from the Buddhist past."--Joseph S. O'Leary, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies "Faure ... has reconstructed the study of Zen as a religion to the point that scholars of religion generally should begin turning to this field to find what they would not expect: a rich tradition of icons, rituals, myths, and magic power. This volume is the best place for them to start."--James H. Foard, The Journal of Religion