The Tantra of Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa
Empowerment
Toh 431
Degé Kangyur, vol. 80 (rgyud ’bum, nga), folios 304.b–343.a
- Trakpa Gyaltsen
Imprint
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2016
Current version v 2.28.21 (2024)
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Table of Contents
Summary
Written around the tenth or the eleventh century ᴄᴇ, in the late Mantrayāna period, The Tantra of Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa represents the flowering of the Yoginītantra genre. The tantra offers instructions on how to attain the wisdom state of Buddha Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa through the practice of the four joys. The tantra covers a range of practices and philosophical perspectives of late tantric Buddhism, including the development stage, the completion stage, the use of mantras, and a number of magical rites and rituals. The text is quite unique with its tribute to and apotheosis of women and, in this regard, probably has few parallels anywhere else in world literature. It is written in the spirit of great sincerity and devotion, and it is this very spirit that mitigates, and at the same time empowers, the text’s stark imagery and sometimes shocking practices. This text certainly calls for an open mind.
Acknowledgments
This translation was produced by Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Wiesiek Mical translated the text from the Sanskrit manuscripts, prepared the Sanskrit edition, and wrote the introduction. The translation was then compared against the Tibetan translation found in the Degé Kangyur by James Gentry, and edited by Andreas Doctor.
The Dharmachakra Translation Committee is also indebted to Professor Harunaga Isaacson and Dr. Péter Szántó for their help in obtaining facsimiles of some of the manuscripts, and to Professor Isaacson for making available some of his personal materials.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Text Body
Empowerment
Then the goddess said:
The lord then said:
“This is the water empowerment:
“Visualizing the disciple to be pure and spotless like a crystal, one should draw some water from the victory jar with a mango blossom and sprinkle the disciple with it, with the words ‘Oṁ āḥ, for the one possessed of the glory of the pledge of the empowerment of all the tathāgatas, hūṁ.’18
“This is the crown empowerment:
“One should first fashion a cloth crown that resembles a crown with many gems. Then one should visualize the disciple as a universal emperor, place the crown on his head, and sprinkle him as before. The mantra is ‘Oṁ, Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa, enter, enter into his heart! Hūṁ phaṭ!’19
“This is the sword empowerment:
“One should place a sword made of iron or the like in the disciple’s right hand and sprinkle him as before. ‘Oṁ, strike, strike! Kill, kill all the enemies! O sword of knowledge! Hūṁ phaṭ!’20
“This is the noose empowerment:
“One should place a noose made of copper or the like in his left hand, which should display the threatening gesture. Then sprinkle him as before. ‘Oṁ, seize, seize! Pull, pull all the evildoers with the noose! Bind, bind! To you, O great truth,21 to you, O Dharma,22 svāhā!’23
“This is the name empowerment:
“One should invite the disciple, crowned with the seal of Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa, to sit down, visualizing him in Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa’s form. One should recite, ‘Oṁ, blessed lord Black Acala, you are an accomplished being! Hūṁ phaṭ!’24 Then one should anoint him as before. In this way, the name empowerment of the five Acalas, according to the color division of black and so forth, should be given to the sādhaka. This is the fivefold empowerment.
“To women, however, instead of the crown empowerment, a vermillion empowerment should be given:
“Visualizing the disciple in the form of the fierce great goddess, one should recite, ‘Oṁ, goddess, enter, enter into her heart! Hūṁ phaṭ!’25 One should place in her right hand a knife of iron or other material, and recite, ‘Oṁ, knife, cut, cut the flesh of all the māras! Hūṁ phaṭ!’26 [F.307.b] In her left hand, one should place a human skull, or one made of wood, and so on, and recite, ‘Oṁ, skull, hold, hold the blood of all the enemies! Hūṁ phaṭ! ’27 Then one should invite her to assume the goddess’s posture, and visualize her in the goddess’s form. One should recite, ‘Oṁ, blessed Hatred Vajrī, you are an accomplished being! Hūṁ phaṭ!’28 In this way, with the names of the five yoginīs according to the division of colors starting with the black, one should anoint women. To them, however, in place of the wisdom empowerment, the skillful means empowerment should be given.
“Now comes the secret empowerment.
“The disciple should first offer clothes and so forth to the teacher before presenting him with a girl who is young and beautiful and dear to his heart.
“The disciple should then bow to the teacher, leave the room, and recite the mantra, ‘Oṁ, Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa, hūṁ phaṭ!’
“The teacher should make offerings to himself with wine, meat, and so forth, and then satiate the wisdom consort. He should unite with her and place the semen and blood obtained from this in the fold of a leaf or such. He should then summon the disciple. Using his ring finger and thumb, the teacher should take the substance and use it to write the syllables hūṁ and phaṭ on the disciple’s tongue. He should then ask the disciple to recite, ‘Ah, pleasure.’29
“Then the teacher should say, ‘Today I will cause the buddha-knowledge to arise, through which lord buddhas of the past, future, and present attain nonabiding nirvāṇa. But you must not speak of this in front of anyone who has not seen the maṇḍala. If you do speak of it, then…’
“Placing the sword against the disciple’s heart, the teacher should continue as follows:
“The teacher should fasten a blindfold across the disciple’s eyes and invite him to throw a flower onto the maṇḍala. As the teacher removes the blindfold, he should then point out the maṇḍala to the disciple and explain its symbolism. Then he should offer the same wisdom consort to the disciple, saying:
“Next the teacher should whisper into the disciple’s ear about the division of the four joys. Then the teacher should go out. The wisdom consort should undress and, lying on her back, point to her secret place, saying:
“And she should say:
“Then the sādhaka, visualizing himself in the form of Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa and visualizing the wisdom consort in the form of Hatred Vajrī, should make love and note the four joys. When this is completed, he should offer the gaṇacakra feast with wine and meat, with the teacher as the guest of honor.
“This was the wisdom empowerment.”
This concludes the chapter on empowerments, the third in the glorious Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa tantra called “The Sole Hero.” [F.308.b]
Bibliography
Tibetan Manuscript of the Root Text
dpal gtum po khro bo chen po’i rgyud kyi rgyal po dpa’ bo gcig pa zhes bya ba. Toh 431, Degé Kangyur, vol. 80 (rgyud ’bum, nga), folios 304b–343a.
Sanskrit Manuscripts of the Root Text
Ekallavīranāmacaṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantram. London: Royal Asiatic Society. Ref.: Cowell 46/31.
Ekallavīranāmacaṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantram. Kathmandu: National Archives of Nepal. Ref.: NGMPP 3/687, Reel no. A 994/4.
Ekallavīratantram. Kathmandu: National Archives of Nepal. Ref.: NGMPP 5/170, Reel no. B 31/11.
Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantram. Göttingen: University of Göttingen Library. Ref.: Bandurski Xc 14/43–45.
Manuscripts of the Commentary
Mahāsukhavajra, Padmāvatīnāmā Pañjikā. Kathmandu: National Archives of Nepal. Ref.: NGMPP 3/502, Reel no. B 31/7.
Secondary Sources
de la Vallée Poussin, Louis. “The Buddhist ‘Wheel of Life’ from a New Source.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (New Series) 29, no. 3 (July 1897), pp 463–70.
Dharmachakra Translation Committee. The Tantra of Siddhaikavīra (Toh 544). 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2016.
Gäng, Peter, trans. Das Tantra des Grausig-Groß-Schreklichen. Berlin: Stechapfel, 1981.
George, Christopher S., trans. and ed. The Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra, Chapters I–VIII: A Critical Edition and English Translation. New Haven, CT: American Oriental Society, 1974.
Isaacson, Harunaga (2010). The Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantra. Handout. Kathmandu: Rangjung Yeshe Institute, February 17, 2010.
——— (2006). Reflections on the Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇatantra. Handout. Kathmandu: Nepal Research Centre, August 25, 2006.
Snellgrove, David. Hevajra Tantra: A Critical Study. London: Oxford University Press, 1959.