Alexis Sanderson

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Alexis G. J. S. Sanderson (born 1948) is an indologist and Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College at the University of Oxford.

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Early life

After taking undergraduate degrees in Classics and Sanskrit at Balliol College from 1968 to 1971, Alexis Sanderson spent six years in Kashmir studying with the scholar and Śaiva guru Swami Lakshman Joo. From 1971-1974 he was a Senior Scholar at Merton College, Oxford, and from 1974-1977 he held a Junior Research Fellowship at Brasenose College, Oxford. [1] From 1977 to 1992 he was University Lecturer in Sanskrit and a Fellow of Wolfson College. [2]

Career

In 1992 he was appointed to the Spalding Chair of Eastern Religions and Ethics and became a Fellow of All Souls. He retired in 2015. [3]

Sanderson is a scholar of Sanskrit and of Indian religions, especially of Shaivism and esoteric Śaiva Tantra, commonly (but not quite correctly) known as Kashmir Shaivism. He has written as an authority on this subject and many of his studies are publicly available through his personal website. Sanderson's published articles, resting on a critical reading of the Sanskrit sources, especially in manuscript, are well regarded and often cited by European and American scholars. [4]

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tantra</span> Esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism

Tantra is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards in both Hinduism and Buddhism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaivism</span> Hindu tradition that worships Shiva

Shaivism is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions ranging from devotional dualistic theism such as Shaiva Siddhanta to yoga-orientated monistic non-theism such as Kashmiri Shaivism. It considers both the Vedas and the Agama texts as important sources of theology. According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, Shaivism is the second-largest Hindu sect, constituting about 252 million or 26.6% of Hindus.

Tantras in Hinduism are esoteric scriptures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaiva Siddhanta</span> Oldest form of Shaivism

Shaiva Siddhanta is a form of Shaivism popular in a pristine form in South India and Sri Lanka and in a Tantrayana syncretised form in Indonesia propounds a devotional philosophy with the ultimate goal of experiencing union with Shiva. The former draws primarily on the Tamil devotional hymns written by Shaiva saints from the 5th to the 9th century CE, known in their collected form as Tirumurai. Tirumular is considered to be the propounder of the term Siddhanta and its basic tenets. In the 12th century, Aghorasiva, the head of a branch monastery of the Amardaka order in Chidambaram, took up the task of formulating Shaiva Siddhanta. This is an earliest known Aghora Paddhati system of Shaiva Siddhanta of Adi Shaivas mathas in Kongu Nadu which rejects the Meykanda Shastras as a later addition. Meykandar was the first systematic philosopher of the school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshman Joo</span> Hindu saint (1907–1991)

Swami Lakshman Joo, born Lakshman Raina and also called Lal Sahib by his followers, was a mystic and scholar of Kashmir Shaivism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kashmir Shaivism</span> Nondualist Kashmiri Hindu tradition

The Kashmir Shaivism tradition, also called Trika Shaivism, is a non-dualist branch of Shaiva-Shakta Tantra Hinduism that originated in Kashmir after 850 CE. In its place of origin in Kashmir, this tradition is commonly referred to as "Kashmiri Shaivism." It later spread beyond Kashmir, with its great scholar Abhinavagupta calling it "Trika". It particularly flourished in the states of Odisha and Maharashtra. Defining features of the Trika tradition are its idealistic and monistic Pratyabhijna ("Recognition") philosophical system, propounded by Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta, and the centrality of the three goddesses Parā, Parāparā, and Aparā.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kapalika</span> Medieval Tantric tradition of Shaivism


The Kāpālika tradition was a Tantric, non-Puranic form of Shaivism which originated in Medieval India between the 4th and 8th century CE. The word is derived from the Sanskrit term kapāla, meaning "skull", and kāpālika can be translated as the "skull-men" or "skull-bearers".

Tantrāloka is a treatise of Abhinavagupta, a writer and philosopher of the Kashmir Shaivism school of Hindu philosophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaula (Hinduism)</span> Religious tradition in Hinduism

Kaula, also known as Kula, and, is a Tantric tradition which is characterised by distinctive rituals and symbolism connected with the worship of Shakti and Shiva that is associated with cremation-ground or charnel ground sceticism, found in Shaktism and Shaivism.

The Āryamañjuśrī­mūlakalpa is a Mahāyāna sūtra and a Mantrayāna ritual manual (kalpa) affiliated with the bodhisattva of wisdom, Mañjuśrī. In Tibetan Buddhism it is classified as a Kriyā-tantra. According to Sanderson and the study by Matsunaga (1985), the text is datable to about 775 CE.

The Agamas are a collection of several Tantric literature and scriptures of Hindu schools. The term literally means tradition or "that which has come down", and the Agama texts describe cosmology, epistemology, philosophical doctrines, precepts on meditation and practices, four kinds of yoga, mantras, temple construction, deity worship and ways to attain sixfold desires. These canonical texts are in Sanskrit and Tamil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guhyasamāja Tantra</span> Important scriptures of Tantric Buddhism

The Guhyasamāja Tantra, Tōhoku Catalogue No. (Toh) 442, also known as the Tathāgataguhyaka, is one of the most important scriptures of Tantric Buddhism, written in Sanskrit. In its fullest form, it consists of seventeen chapters, though a separate "explanatory tantra" (vyākhyātantra) known as the Later Tantra, Toh 443, is sometimes considered to be its eighteenth chapter. Many scholars believe that the original core of the work consisted of the first twelve chapters, with chapters thirteen to seventeen being added later as explanatory material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratyabhijna</span> School of philosophy in Kashmir Shaivism

Pratyabhijñā or Pratyabhigyā is an idealistic, monistic, and theistic school of philosophy in Kashmir Shaivism which originated in the ninth century CE. The term Trika was used by Abhinavagupta to represent the whole of Kashmir Shaivism, or to designate the Pratyabhijñā system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mantra marga</span>

Mantra marga is one of the two main sects of Shaivism while the other one is being "Atimarga". Although it is believed that Atimarga precedes Mantramarga, there are so many contemporary evidences available for both sects. Mantra marga became more popular than ATI marga in its nature which focuses on social and worldwide temporal philosophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abirameswarar Temple</span> Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu, India

Abirameswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in thiruvamaathur, a village in Viluppuram district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Shiva is worshiped as Abirameswarar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Manonmani Amman. The temple is located on the Chennai - Villupuram highway. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanmars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netra Tantra</span>

Netra Tantra is a Tantra text attributed to non-Saiddhantika Mantra margic sect of Shaivism produced between circa 700 - 850 CE in Kashmir. It was commented on by the Kashmiri Saivite Pratyabhijñā philosopher Kshemaraja and it was connected with royalty and used in the courts by Śaiva officiants in the role of royal priest (Rājapurohita).

Shaman Hatley is a scholar of Asian religions, specializing in the goddess cults and tantric rituals of medieval India, including the yogini cults and the history of yoga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Birch</span>

Jason Birch is a scholar of medieval haṭha yoga and a founding member of SOAS's Centre for Yoga Studies. His research includes locating and translating early yoga manuscripts, and preparing critical editions, such as of the Amaraugha.

Mark S. G. Dyczkowski is an English Indologist, musician, and scholar of Tantra and Kashmir Shaivism. He has published multiple translations and commentaries, most notably the 12-volume Manthanabhairava Tantra and an 11-volume Tantrāloka including the commentary by Jayaratha. Dyczkowski also plays the sitar and has collected over 1,500 compositions for sitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarvamnaya tantra</span>

Sarvamnaya Tantra is a tantric tradition originating within Nepal. Sarvāmnāya translates literally to "all transmissions." It makes reference to the āmnāya categorization system, which depicts the various streams of Kaula tantrism as "transmissions" flowing from the different faces of Śiva in different cardinal directions. This representation of Shiva with multiple or five faces is referred to as Sadasiva or Mukhalinga and is central to the Sarvamnaya tradition. The textual basis for the āmnāya categorization dates back to eleventh century Kaula texts like the Ciñciṇīmatasārasaṃuccaya and Nityāṣoḍaśīkārṇava, which began associating existing practice traditions with different directions, a practice that was further developed by subsequent texts like the Kulārṇava Tantra. These transmissions include the Pūrvāmnāya centered around the Trika goddesses of Parā, Parāparā and Aparā, the Uttarāmnāya centered around the Kālikā Krama, the Paścimāmnāya centered around the humpbacked goddess Kubjikā and her consort Navātman, the Dakṣiṇāmnāya centered around the goddess Tripurasundarī and Sri Vidya, the Urdhvāmnāya centered around the Ardhanārīśvara half-goddess/half-Śiva form, and the Adharāmnāya, which includes Vajrayogini, Vajravarahi, and Ugratara of the Vajrayāna.

References

  1. "Professor Alexis Sanderson | All Souls College". www.asc.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  2. From the web-site of All Souls College, http://www.all-souls.ox.ac.uk/people.php?personid=58 Archived 2012-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Alexis Sanderson". asc.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  4. See, e.g., Joan Evelyn Ames, Mastery: Interviews with 30 Remarkable People