18 charles d. orzech, richard k. payne, henrik h. sørensen
What is meant by esoteric in each of these different usages is dif-
ferent enough to suggest the importance of clarity regarding what is
being identified as esoteric. It is one of the goals of this collection
that scholars be better able to delineate the different meanings of the
concept when applied to different referents, and to more adequately
nuance future research.
One of the motivations for creating this collection was to estab-
lish the fact of esoteric Buddhism in East Asia, not just as a passing
moment in the medieval period, but as a deeply influential stream of
thought, and practice, having a pervasive role throughout East Asia
from the medieval period into the present. The contributions that we
have been fortunate enough to bring together here go much further
than this initial impetus, providing a great deal of the structures and
details of that history. As such, however, it simply maps the territory
for further exploration.