The Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra
Chapter 9
Toh 747
Degé Kangyur, vol. 95 (rgyud ’bum, dza), folios 238.a–263.a
- Buddhākaravarma
- Chökyi Sherab
Imprint
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2020
Current version v 1.0.15 (2024)
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra is a Buddhist esoteric manual on magic and exorcism. The instructions on ritual practices that constitute its main subject matter are intended to give the practitioner mastery over worldly divinities and spirits. Since the ultimate controller of such beings is Vajrapāṇi in his form of Bhūtaḍāmara, the “Tamer of Spirits,” it is Vajrapāṇi himself who delivers this tantra in response to a request from Śiva. Notwithstanding this esoteric origin, this tantra was compiled anonymously around the seventh or eighth century ᴄᴇ, introducing for the first time the cult of its titular deity. Apart from a few short ritual manuals (sādhana), this tantra remains the only major work dedicated solely to Bhūtaḍāmara.
Acknowledgements
This translation was produced by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Wiesiek Mical translated the text from the Sanskrit manuscripts, prepared the Sanskrit edition, and wrote the introduction. Thomas Doctor then compared the translation against the Tibetan translation found in the Degé Kangyur and edited the text. Special thanks are owed to Dr. Péter-Dániel Szántó for making available his transcript of the manuscript, “Göttingen Xc 14/50 I,” which was our default source for the reconstruction of the Sanskrit text.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Text Body
Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra
Chapter 9
“Fold in the other fingers and extend both your index fingers to form the shape of a needle.
“The great mudrā of Great Wrath’s entry:
“Hold your fists together and enclose both index fingers. Great Wrath will instantly be made to enter the triple universe.
“The mudrā for the head:
“Hold your fists together and extend the middle fingers.
“This mudrā is the same as above, but here one should enclose both middle fingers and form the index fingers into the shape of a needle.
“This is the same as above, but here one should stick the thumbs out to the side, touch one’s right eye with the right thumb, and touch one’s left eye with the left thumb.
“Hold your fists together, enclose both little fingers, and extend both index fingers.
“Form the same mudrā as above and form both index fingers into a circle.
“Form the same mudrā as above and extend your index fingers.
“The mudrā for the welcome offering:
“Join your hands with the palms flat in a gesture of greeting, with the middle fingers side by side with the other fingers.133
“Hold your fists together and extend both thumbs.
“Holding your fists apart, extend your left index finger and place it at the base of your arm. On your right hand, cover the fingernail of your little finger with your thumb and extend your remaining fingers, placing them at the base of your right arm.134
“Join your hands in a gesture of greeting with the palms flat while bending your index and ring fingers at a sharp angle. This is the ‘broken mudrā’ of Rudra. [F.248.a]
“Join your hands in a gesture of greeting with the palms flat while bending your index fingers inward so that they are enclosed.
“Folding in the other fingers, extend both little fingers.
“The mudrā [of Kārttikeya] with the power to crush Mount Krauñca:
“Make your left hand into a fist and extend your middle finger.
“Form your left hand into a fist and extend your index and middle fingers. Then, bending your index finger, hold it against the middle joint of your middle finger.135
“Join your hands in a gesture of greeting with the palms flat, making the sign of the svastika. Bend the little finger of the left hand at a sharp angle and place it on the tip of the thumb. Also place your right thumb on the tip of your left thumb.
“Extend your right hand and bend your index and ring fingers at a sharp angle.
“The mudrā of Narteśvara:
“Place your right hand upon your head in the dancing gesture. Make your left hand into a fist with the index and middle fingers extended. Use your middle finger and thumb in the gesture of dance to hold down your little and ring fingers.136
“Hold your fists apart and enclose the little fingers.
“Form both your hands into the shape of a serpent’s hood and place it on your head.
“Join your cupped palms in the gesture of greeting and extend them toward the sky.
“Hold your fists together and enclose the index fingers. Then swing your hands in a dancing motion that imitates the flame of Śeṣa’s lamp.140
“The mudrā of Ratnabhūṣaṇī:
“Hold your fists together and extend both index fingers. Then place the extended index fingers at your forehead in the shape of a jewel while binding them with a rosary. This is the mudrā of Ratnabhūṣaṇī. Her mantra is ‘Oṁ, svāhā to the one with the splendor of a jewel!’141
“Folding the other fingers in, extend both index fingers and touch them to your mouth.
“Folding the other fingers in, place your index fingers on your head.142
“The mudrā of Surasundarī, the queen of all yakṣas:145
“Hold your fists together and extend both little fingers while bending them a little.146
“Hold your fists together and enclose both little fingers while slightly bending both index fingers.147
“Hold your fists together and enclose both index fingers within them.
“These are the mudrās of the eight female spirits.”148
This concludes the chapter containing a detailed description of the characteristics of the mudrās and the ritual of the deities of the great maṇḍala.149
Abbreviations
Abbreviations Used in the Sanskrit Appendix
Critical apparatus
| + | plus signs replace illegible text |
|---|---|
| ] | a right square bracket marks the lemma, i.e., the adopted reading for which variants are adduced |
| conj. | conjectured |
| em. | emended |
| om. | omitted |
| ° | an upper ring indicates truncation of a word |
| † | daggers enclose unintelligible text |
Sigla or acronyms of textual witnesses
Manuscripts
| A | Tokyo University Library (New 274 / Old 567) |
|---|---|
| B | Tokyo University Library (New 273 / Old 483) |
| G | Göttingen University Library (Göttingen Xc 14 / 50 I) |
Published Works
| SM | Sādhanamālā, the sādhana of Bhūtaḍāmara (sādhana no. 264) |
|---|---|
| Tib. | Tibetan text of the Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra in the Degé canon (Toh 747) |
Bibliography
Sanskrit and Tibetan Sources
Bhūtaḍāmaratantram. Rāya, Kṛṣṇa Kumāra, ed. Vārāṇasī: Prācya Prakāśana, 1933.
Bhūtaḍāmaratantra. University of Göttingen Library, Xc 14/50 I.
Bhūtaḍāmaramahātantrarāja. University of Tokyo Library, New 274/Old 567.
Bhūtaḍāmaramahātantrarāja. University of Tokyo Library, New 273/Old 483.
Bhattacharyya, Benoytosh, ed., Sādhanamālā (pp. 512−28). Baroda: Oriental Institute, 1968.
’byung po ’dul ba zhes bya ba’i rgyud kyi rgyal po chen po (Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra). Toh 747, Degé Kangyur vol. 95 (rgyud ’bum, dza), folios 238.a–263.a.
Secondary Sources
Bhattacharyya, Benoytosh. “The Cult of Bhūtaḍāmara.” Proceedings and Transactions of the Sixth All-India Oriental Conference: 349−70. Patna: Bihar and Orissa Research Society, 1933.
———. The Indian Buddhist Iconography Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Sanskrit Texts and Rituals. Calcutta: Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay, 1958.
Bühnemann, Gudrun. “Buddhist Deities and Mantras in the Hindu Tantras I: The Tantrasārasaṃgraha and the Īśānaśivagurudevapaddhati.” Indo-Iranian Journal 42:4 (1999): 303–34.
Cabezón, José Ignacio. The Buddha’s Doctrine and the Nine Vehicles. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Pal, Pratapaditya. Hindu Religion and Iconology According to the Tantrasāra. Los Angeles: Vichitra Press, 1981.