Mahāvairocanaabhisaṃbodhivikurvitādhiṣṭānavaipulya (Vairocana Sutra) 大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經

Translated by Śubhakarasiṃha and Yi Xing

Colophon

第 18 冊　No. 848 大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經 唐 善無畏．一行譯 共 7 卷
Volume 18, No. 848, dapiluzhena cheng fo shen bian jiachi jing, Mahāvairocanaabhisaṃbodhivikurvitādhiṣṭānavaipulya (Vairocana Sutra), Translated by Śubhakarasiṃha and Yi Xing in the Tang in 7 scrolls

Other Titles

大日經 Mahavairocana Sūtra; Maha Vairocana Abhisambodhi Tantra; Vairocanāsaṃbodhi Sūtra; Scripture of the Enlightenment, Supernatural Transformations, and Empowerment of Mahavairocana; Japanese: Daibirushana jōbutsu jinpen kaijikyō

Notes

Sanskrit title and date 725 from Lancaster (2004)

English translation

  1. Giebel, Rolf W. 2005, Vairocanāsaṃbodhi Sūtra: Translated from the Chinese (Taishō Volume 18, Number 848), BDK English Tripiṭaka Series, BDK America, Inc., https://bdkamerica.org/product/the-vairocanabhisambodhi-sutra.
  2. Wayman, A. and Tajima, R. 1992, The Enlightenment of Vairocana, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, https://books.google.com/books?id=rlhQwTAYR-oC. From Tibetan.

Summary

The Vairocanāsaṃbodhi Sūtra is one of the foundational texts of East Asian Esoteric Buddhism. The initial format is a dialog between Vajrapāṇi Bodhisattva, who is given the epithet 持金剛祕密主 vajradhara, Lord of Secrets, and 大日如來 Vairocana, describing enlightenment. Transformations and empowerment of Mahāvairocana are also discussed. Details of construction of the 胎藏曼荼羅 Womb World Maṇḍala, called 大悲胎藏生大漫茶 Matrix of Great Compassion Mandala in the text, are described. The symbolism of many deities placed in the maṇḍala and ritual mudras are given. The meanings of Sanskrit characters used in the ritual chanting are explained. The text is classified as a caryatantra 'practice tantra.'

Primary Source

Śubhakarasiṃha and Yi Xing, 《大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經》 'Mahāvairocanaabhisaṃbodhivikurvitādhiṣṭānavaipulya (Vairocana Sutra),' in Taishō shinshū Daizōkyō 《大正新脩大藏經》, in Takakusu Junjiro, ed., (Tokyo: Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō Kankōkai, 1988), Vol. 18, No. 848, Accessed 2016-09-28, http://tripitaka.cbeta.org/T18n0848.

Parallels

  1. Hodge, Stephen tr. 2003,Maha Vairocana Abhisambodhi Tantra With Buddhaguhyas Commentary, New York: Routledge, https://archive.org/details/mahavairocanaabhisambodhitantrawithbuddhaguhyascommentarystephenhodgeroutledge_202003_21_q, English translation from Tibetan.
  2. Tibetan (Peking no. 126): rnam par snang mdzad chen po mngon par rdzogs par byang chub pa rnam par sprul ba byin gyis rlob pa shin tu rgyas pa mdo

Commentaries

  1. 大日經疏 Commentary on the Mahavairocana Sutra by Yi Xing (T 1796)
  2. 大日經義釋 Exegesis of the Mahavairocana Sutra by Yi Xing (X 438)

References

  1. Abé, R 1999, p. 550.
  2. FGDB, s.v. 大日經.
  3. Goble, G. C. 2019, Chinese Esoteric Buddhism: Amoghavajra, the Ruling Elite, and the Emergence of a Tradition, Play E-Book, United States: Columbia University Press., pp. 25-69.
  4. Lancaster 2004, s.v. K 427.
  5. Metropolitan Museum of Art 2009, “Womb World Mandala,” https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/75348, accessed 2021-09-14.
  6. Nanjio, Bunyiu 1883, A Catalogue of the Chinese Translation of the Buddhist Tripitaka, the Sacred Canon of the Buddhists in China and Japan, Clarendon Press, Oxford,https://archive.org/stream/cu31924023893898, p. 122, no. 530.
  7. Wayman, Alex and Ryujun Tajima 1992, The Enlightenment of Vairocana, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.

Contents

Page numbers from Giebel 2005
  • Scroll 1
    • 1. 入真言門住心 Abodes of the Mind when Entering the Dhāraṇī Gateway, p. 3
    • 2. 入漫茶羅具緣真言 Affinities and Dhāraṇīs for Entering the Maṇḍala, p. 17
  • Scroll 2
    • 3. 息障 Overcoming Hindrances, p. 55
    • 4. 普通真言藏 Collection of Commonly used Dhāraṇīs, p. 59
  • Scroll 3
    • 5. 世間成就 Worldly Accomplishments, p. 69
    • 6. 悉地出現 Manifestation of Supernatural Powers, p. 71
    • 7. 成就悉地 Attaining Supernatural Powers, p. 89
    • 8. 轉字輪漫茶羅行 Revolving Wheel of Characters Maṇḍala Practice, p.
  • Scroll 4
    • 9. 密印 Mudras, p. 101
  • Scroll 5
    • 10. 字輪 Wheel of Characters, p. 119
    • 11. 祕密漫荼羅 Secret Maṇḍala, p. 123
    • 12. 入祕密漫荼羅法 Ceremony for Entering the Secret Maṇḍala, p. 145
    • 13. 入祕密漫荼羅位 Positions for Entering the Secret Maṇḍala, p. 147
    • 14. 祕密八印 Eight Secret Mudras, p. 151
    • 15. 持明禁戒 Precepts for Recitations, p. 155
    • 16. 阿闍梨真實智 The Ācārya's True Knowledge, p. 159
    • 17. 布字 Arrangement of Characters, p. 163
  • Scroll 6
    • 18. 受方便學處 Receiving Training in Expedient Means, p. 165
    • 19. 說百字生 Explaination of the Arising of the Hundred Characters, p. 171
    • 20. 百字果相應 Intercorrespondence with the Result of the Hundred Characters, p. 173
    • 21. 百字位成 Accomplishment of the Position of the Hundred Characters, p. 175
    • 22. 百字成就持誦 Accomplishment of Chanting the Hundred Characters, p. 179
    • 23. 百字真言法 Hundred Characters Mantra Ritual, p. 183
    • 24. 說菩提性 Explanation of the Nature of Enlightenment, p. 185
    • 25. 三三昧耶 Three Samayas, p. 187
    • 26. 說如來 Explaining Tathagata, p. 189
    • 27. 世出世護摩法 Worldly and Transendental Homa Rituals, p. 191
    • 28. 說本尊三昧 Explanation of Deity Samādhi, p. 197
    • 29. 說無相三昧 Explanation of Samādhi of No Appearance, p. 199
    • 30. 世出世持誦 Worldly and Transcendental Chanting, p. 201
    • 31. 囑累 Entrustment, p. 201
    Scroll 7
    • 1. 供養次第法中真言行學處 Training for Offerings and Mantra Practice, p. 205
    • 2. 增益守護清淨行 Development and Upholding of Pure Conduct, p. 211
    • 3. 供養儀式 Ritual Offerings, p. 219
    • 4. 持誦法則 Rules for Chanting, p. 233
    • 5. 真言事業 Mantra Practice, p. 243

Collection vocabulary analysis