This edited collection brings linguistics into contact with a millennia of works by Buddhist scholars. Examining the Buddhist contemplative tradition and its extensive writings from an interdisciplinary perspective, the authors bridge the gap between such customs and human language. To do so, they provide chapters on linguistics, history, religious studies, philosophy and semiotics. Uniting scholars from three different continents and from many disciplines and institutions, this innovative and unique book is sure to appeal to anyone interested in Buddhist traditions and linguistics.

Manel Herat is Lecturer in English Language at Liverpool Hope University, UK. Her research interests include World Englishes, World War I letters, and Psychology of Language including Child Language.

Chapter 1: The Buddhist philosophy of language in India: an overview; Viktoria Lysenko.- Chapter 2: The Finger and the Moon: Language, Reality and Interpretation in Zen Buddhism; Duane Williams.- Chapter 3: Semiotics as Soteriology: A Different Look at Medieval Japanese Buddhism; Fabio Rambelli.- Chapter 4: Object-hood and Objectification in Buddhist Philosophy: Origin and Obstacle of Language; Jiajuang Xiong.- Chapter 5: Authenticating the Tradition through Linguistic Arguments; Vesna A. Wallace.- Chapter 6: Buddhism and Chinese Linguistics: Barbara Meisterernst.- Chapter 7: Tantric Epistemology and the Problem of Ineffability in The Seven Siddhi Texts; Adam Krug.