E. Dale Saunders was an American scholar of Romance languages and literature, Japanese Buddhism, classical Japanese literature, and East Asian civilization. His scholarly work delved into the profound cultural and literary connections bridging the East and the West. Saunders explored the unique facets of Japanese culture and its literary traditions, examining their influence and interrelation with other civilizations. His research offers valuable insights into the intricate relationships between diverse literary and philosophical systems.
Appearing for the first time in paperback and illustrated with line drawings, diagrams, and 26 half-tone plates, this study of the iconographic aspect of Japanese Buddhist sculpture surveys the significance of eight principal and six secondary hand gestures (mudra), in addition to the postures (asana), such as the "lotus," and the symbolic attributes. A pictorial index helps the reader in identifying the gestures.