The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī
Chapter 8
Toh 543
Degé Kangyur, vol. 88 (rgyud ’bum, na), folios 88.a–334.a (in 1737 par phud printing), 105.a–351.a (in later printings)
- Kumārakalaśa
- Śākya Lodrö
Imprint
Translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2020
Current version v 1.21.31 (2024)
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa is the largest and most important single text devoted to Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva of wisdom. A revealed scripture, it is, by its own classification, both a Mahāyāna sūtra and a Mantrayāna kalpa (manual of rites). Because of its ritual content, it was later classified as a Kriyā tantra and assigned, based on the hierarchy of its deities, to the Tathāgata subdivision of this class. The Sanskrit text as we know it today was probably compiled throughout the eighth century ᴄᴇ and several centuries thereafter. What makes this text special is that, unlike most other Kriyā tantras, it not only describes the ritual procedures, but also explains them in terms of general Buddhist philosophy, Mahāyāna ethics, and the esoteric principles of the early Mantrayāna (later called Vajrayāna), with an emphasis on their soteriological aims.
Acknowledgements
This translation was produced by the 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. Paul Thomas, Ryan Damron, Anna Zilman, Bruno Galasek, and Adam Krug then compared the translation draft against the Tibetan text found in the Degé and other editions of the Tibetan Kangyur. Wiesiek Mical then completed the translation by incorporating all the significant variations from the Tibetan translation either into the English translation itself or the annotations.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of 中國宗薩寺堪布彭措郎加, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Text Body
Chapter 8
Now Lord Śākyamuni addressed Mañjuśrī, the divine youth:
“The full topic of the cloth-painting procedure, Mañjuśrī, has now been taught by me for the benefit of those beings you foretold. They will succeed even with little skillful means.663 For their benefit I will now teach a sādhana method classified according to the type of activity, describing at length its different virtues. Listen to it well, [F.143.a] [F.160.a] and reflect upon it thoroughly. I will speak for the benefit of all beings.”664 {8.1}
The divine youth Mañjuśrī, in turn, said to the Blessed One, “Good! It is good, O Blessed One, that you will give this eloquent exposition that illuminates our incisive meditation and causes the qualities of mantra practice to fully manifest.665 So do teach this method, Blessed One, if you think that the time is right. Do so out of compassion for us.” {8.2}
Lord Śākyamuni looked then at the entire assembly and smiled. At that moment rays of blue, yellow, and translucent crystalline light666 issued from the mouth of Lord Śākyamuni. As soon as these rays issued forth, they illuminated the entire assembly and dimmed the worldly realm of the great trichiliocosm, including the abodes of all the māras. This included the light of the entire multitude of stars, celestial bodies, mountain ranges, and the moon and the sun, those two luminaries of great power and might, which were also dimmed by the light of Śākyamuni’s rays. They lost their radiance and did not illuminate the worlds. They did not shine and appeared dark. The rays dimmed also the jewel light of all gems, mantras, and medicines and then disappeared back into Lord Śākyamuni’s mouth. {8.3}
Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, the great being, was present at that time in the midst of this great gathering. Seated, he rose from his seat in his beautiful form pleasing to beings,667 prostrated at the Blessed One’s feet, and said this to him:
“It is not without a cause or a reason that the blessed668 buddhas smile. What is the cause, Blessed One, what is the reason for your smile?” {8.4}
Being thus asked, the Blessed One said to Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, “It is so, Vajrapāṇi, it is so. It is exactly as you say. The smile of the tathāgatas does not happen without a cause or a reason.669 There is a cause, [F.143.b] [F.160.b] there is a reason: future beings will take up and follow this king of the lords of sūtras, this root manual of Mañjuśrī, which arose out of the tenth bodhisattva level, Cloud of Dharma—a collection of skillful methods such as ritual practices that involve knowledge-vidyās and practicing the right conduct. Future beings will study this manual in full, memorize it, spread it by word of mouth, and put their faith in it. {8.5}
“Having written it down in the form of a book, they will worship it with sandalwood powder, ointments, incense, flower garlands, parasols, flags and banners, or other different means, in particular with the music670 of various instruments and cymbals. Through that they will attain a continuous mental state of inner rejoicing that makes their bodily hair bristle with joy. Learning about the power and efficacy of vidyās, they will be thrilled, rejoice, and will take up the right conduct. I predict that all of them will become blessed buddhas, established in supreme, perfect awakening. It is for this and no other reason that the victorious ones smile. {8.6}
“To start, one who observes his samaya of, who has completed the preparatory rites for, and who has been ritually initiated into this king of manuals should choose either the root mantra, heart mantra, subsidiary heart mantra, or another mantra, whether of one syllable or another one as desired and go to a large forest. There one should recite the mantra three million times, living on fruits, water, roots, or leaves. This constitutes the preliminary practice. {8.7}
“One should then climb to the top of a mountain and position the superior671 painting so that it faces the west. Then, sitting on a bundle of kuśa grass and facing east, one should offer, below the painting, one hundred thousand white lotuses smeared with white sandalwood672 and saffron to Lord Śākyamuni and all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and noble śrāvakas. One should burn camphor incense according to one’s means673 and make offerings to the gods and nāgas [F.144.a] [F.161.a] of whatever flowers are available. {8.8}
“Then, at the midnight hour, on a bright full moon night, the completely full moon of the prātihāra fortnight, one should dig, in front of the painting, a fire pit in the shape of a lotus and kindle the fire using white sandalwood sticks. One should blend together saffron and camphor and offer it into the fire one thousand and eight times, [or as many times] as one can. [In this way] one becomes ritually protected. {8.9}
“Then rays of light emanate from Lord Śākyamuni, encircle the painting, and envelop it with blazing light. The practitioner,674 in a form pleasing to beings,675 should then circumambulate the painting three times clockwise, bow to all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and noble śrāvakas, and take the painting into his hands.676 {8.10}
“As soon as one grasps the end of the cloth where the practitioner had been painted earlier, one will fly upward.677 In the snap of a finger, one will ascend to the realm of Brahmā. One will reach the world sphere called Kusumāvatī, where dwells Tathāgata Saṃkusumita Rājendra. There he upholds, maintains, and expounds the Dharma. One will see there Noble Mañjuśrī in person and will hear his Dharma discourse. One will also see many hundreds of thousands678 of bodhisattvas and attend upon them. One will live for one thousand great eons, enjoying679 freedom from old age and death. {8.11}
“The painting also remains there and is blessed by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas; one can clearly feel the blessing. One will be able to visit hundreds of thousands of buddhafields, display hundreds of thousands of bodies, and develop many magical powers. Noble Mañjuśrī will become one’s spiritual friend, and one will be destined to attain awakening.” {8.12} [F.144.b] [F.161.b]
This concludes the eighth chapter of this extensive Mahāyāna sūtra that forms a garland-like basket of bodhisattva teachings. This chapter constitutes the detailed first chapter on the ritual involving the supreme sādhana method.
Colophon
By order of the glorious ruler and renunciant king Jangchub O, this text was translated, edited, and finalized by the great Indian preceptor and spiritual teacher Kumārakalaśa and the translator Lotsawa and monk Śākya Lodrö.3395
Abbreviations
Abbreviations Used in the Introduction and Translation
C | Choné Kangyur |
---|---|
D | Degé Kangyur |
H | Lhasa Kangyur |
J | Lithang Kangyur |
K | Kangxi Kangyur |
L | Shelkar Kangyur |
MMK | Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa |
N | Narthang Kangyur |
Skt. | Sanskrit text of the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa as it is represented in the appendix |
TMK | Tārāmūlakalpa |
Tib. | Tibetan text of the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa as witnessed in the Pedurma Kangyur |
Y | Yongle Kangyur |
Abbreviations Used in the Appendix—Sources for the Sanskrit text of the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa (MMK)
Published editions
M | Martin Delhey 2008 |
---|---|
S | Śāstrī 1920–25 |
V | Vaidya 1964 |
Y | Jayaswal 1934 (the section containing chapter 53 from Śāstrī’s edition of the MMK corrected by Rāhula Saṅkṛtyāyana) |
Manuscripts
A | NAK (National Archives, Kathmandu) accession no. 5/814 |
---|---|
B | NAK accession no. 3/303 |
MSS | all manuscripts (as used for any given section of text) |
R | NAK accession no. 3/645 |
T | manuscript accession no. C-2388 (Thiruvananthapuram) |
Tibetan sources
C | Choné (co ne) Kangyur |
---|---|
D | Degé (sde dge) Kangyur |
H | Lhasa (lha sa/zhol) Kangyur |
J | Lithang (li thang) Kangyur |
K | Kangxi (khang shi) Kangyur |
N | Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur |
TMK | Tibetan translation of the Tārāmūlakalpa (Toh 724) |
Tib. | Tibetan translation (supported by all recensions in the Pedurma Kangyur) |
U | Urga (phyi sog khu re) Kangyur |
Y | Yongle (g.yung lo) Kangyur |
Critical apparatus
* | text illegible (in a manuscript) |
---|---|
+ | text reported as illegible in S, or in Delhey’s transcript of manuscript A |
? | text illegible (in a printed edition) |
[] (square brackets) | text hard to decipher (in a manuscript) |
] | right square bracket marks the lemma quoted from the root text |
a.c. | ante correctionem |
conj. | conjectured |
em. | emended |
lac. | lacunae in the text (physical damage to the manuscript) |
m.c. | metri causa |
om. | omitted |
p.c. | post correctionem |
r | recto |
v | verso |
† (dagger) | text unintelligible |
• (middle dot) | lack of sandhi or partial sandhi |
Bibliography
Source Texts (Sanskrit)
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Manuscript in the National Archives, Kathmandu (Bir 157), accession no. 3/303. Microfilmed by NGMPP, reel A 136/11. Bears the title Mañjuśrījñānatantra.
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Manuscript in the National Archives, Kathmandu, accession no. 5/814. Microfilmed by NGMPP, reel A 39/04.
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Manuscript in the National Archives, Kathmandu (Bir 45), accession no. 3/645. Microfilmed by NGMPP, reel A 124/14.
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Manuscript in the Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library, Thiruvananthapuram, accession no. C-2388.
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Manuscript in Tokyo University Library, no. 275 in Matsunami’s catalog (Matsunami 1965).
Śāstrī, T. Gaṇapati, ed. The Āryamañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Vols 1–3. Trivandrum Sanskrit Series 70, 76, and 84. Trivandrum: Superintendent Government Press, 1920–25.
Vaidya, P. L., ed. Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Mahāyānasūtrasaṃgraha, Part II. Buddhist Sanskrit Texts 18. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Sanskrit Learning, 1964.
Source Texts (Tibetan)
’jam dpal gyi rtsa ba’i rgyud (Mañjuśrīmūlatantra). Toh. 543, Degé Kangyur vol. 88 (rgyud ’bum, na), folios 105.a–351.a.
’jam dpal gyi rtsa ba’i rgyud (Mañjuśrīmūlatantra). bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009. vol. 88, pp. 354–1051.
ral pa gyen brdzes kyi rtog pa chen po (Tārāmūlakalpa). Toh. 724, Degé Kangyur vol. 93 (rgyud ’bum, tsa), folios 205.b–311.a, continued in vol. 94 (rgyud ’bum, tsha), folios 1.b–200.a.
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