Action Tantras
བྱ་བའི་རྒྱུད།
Kriyātantra
Tantras of the Action class, mainly emphasizing external worship and ritual, and classified into six “families” of principal deities (Toh 502-808).
Mañjuśrī’s Increasing of Insight and Intelligence is a short dhāraṇī scripture centered on the figure of Mañjuśrī. It opens with a salutation to the Three Jewels, followed by the Sanskrit dhāraṇī proper, and concludes with an enumeration of the benefits accrued by its memorization. These include the swift attainment of intelligence, a melodious voice, and a beautiful appearance. It also extols physical contact with the material text, which is said to enable recollection of one’s former lives. The scripture concludes with a brief statement of the benefits accrued by extensive recitation, which culminate in beholding the very face of Mañjuśrī.
Mañjuśrī’s Sworn Oath provides instruction in an incantatory practice focused on Mañjuśrī, in the form of a vidyā that Mañjuśrī himself pronounces. The vidyā unfolds in a series of forceful imperatives suggestive of battle, conquest, and celebration, and after enunciating it, Mañjuśrī explains that its recitation will lead to virtuosity in the memorization of scriptural verses. The benefits of recitation are then enumerated in more detail, relative to the number of times it is recited and whether the recitation is accompanied by ritual performance. As indicated by the title, Mañjuśrī then swears an oath to assure the vidyā’s efficacy, pledging to take on the karmic burden of the five misdeeds with immediate retribution should its promised benefits fail to ensue.
Mañjuśrī’s Promise begins without preamble with a Sanskrit praise text in the form of a dhāraṇī that resembles other traditional encomiums that exult in the purity, grace, and triumph of bodhisattvas. The scripture then enumerates the benefits accrued by a single recitation of this dhāraṇī, which include the purification of evil deeds accumulated over eons, and the many rewards for its extensive recitation, namely erudition, exceptional powers of memorization, and finally the sight of the body of Mañjuśrī himself.
The Epithets of Mañjuśrī is a concise scripture consisting of a salutation to Mañjuśrī that highlights the qualities of his speech, a thirty-six-syllable Sanskrit dhāraṇī, and a one-sentence statement of the benefit accrued by twenty-one recitations thereof.
The Procedure for Mañjuśrī's Single-Syllable Mantra is a pithy text extolling an exceedingly secret and potent single-syllable mantra. Following a note regarding its universal efficacy, the remaining portion of the text outlines ritual applications for the remediation of specific ailments through the consecration of common items as sacral implements in rites of healing.
Spoken by Mañjuśrī Himself provides an incantatory practice taught by Mañjuśrī. The dhāraṇī has two sections: the first extols Mañjuśrī as a tathāgata, an arhat, and a perfectly awakened buddha, and the second invokes a bhagavatī who is praised as an illuminator and supplicated for protection.
The Perfection of Wisdom “Kauśika” is a condensed prajñāpāramitā sūtra in which the Buddha summarizes the various meanings of the perfection of wisdom. In particular, the Buddha equates the characteristics of the perfection of wisdom with the characteristics of all phenomena, the five aggregates, the five elements, and the ten perfections. In this way, the sūtra places particular emphasis on the nonduality of conventional phenomena and emptiness.
《金光明經》是一部非常重要的佛典，因其經中教導滅除業障之法門「金鼓懺悔法」，並以顯著篇幅針對君主宣說此法護國之利益，因此對於治國者而言具有重要意義，其影響不僅遍及印度，也遠至中國、日本、蒙古等地。如經中所言，讀誦奉持本經不僅能滅除個人之業障，亦能使國土安穩、人民豐樂、無有災殃。
經文記敘妙幢菩薩於夢中見大金鼓光明晃耀，聲中演說懺悔之法。妙幢菩薩即至佛前說此頌文，爾時，釋梵四王等天眾皆誓願擁護此法及其行者。經中強調，若國主恭奉此經，則其國土安樂福利無邊。本經還記敘了兩則著名的佛陀本生故事：醫者流水救護十千池魚並為之說法，以及摩訶薩埵王子捨身飼虎的事跡。
《金光明經》是一部非常重要的佛典，因其經中教導滅除業障之法門「金鼓懺悔法」，並以顯著篇幅針對君主宣說此法護國之利益，因此對於治國者而言具有重要意義。其影響不僅遍及印度，也遠至中國、日本、蒙古等地。如經中所言，讀誦奉持本經不僅能滅除個人之業障，亦能使國土安穩、人民豐樂、無有災殃。
經文記敘妙幢菩薩於夢中見大金鼓光明晃耀，聲中演說懺悔之法。妙幢菩薩即至佛前說此頌文，爾時，釋梵四王等天眾皆誓願擁護此法及其行者。經中強調，若國主恭奉此經，則其國土安樂福利無邊。本經還記敘了兩則著名的佛陀本生故事：醫者流水救護十千池魚並為之說法，以及摩訶薩埵王子捨身飼虎的事跡。
這是一篇對文殊師利菩薩的禮贊文。由標題可以推知，八位童女各自宣說其中一偈，從不同角度贊嘆文殊師利菩薩。
《大寒林經》是《五護陀羅尼》中的一部。這是在信奉大乘佛教的地區最廣為流傳的佛經之一，常用於禳災解厄。本經能夠保護佛教四眾——比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，免受那些居住於僻靜山林修行地的眾多鬼魔所製造的種種疾病與障礙。經文尤其針對吸食精氣血肉的魔祟、部多等非人，防止他們傷害在深山中閉關修持的佛教行者。本經由四大天王所宣說，每位天王均有其統領的眾多鬼魔，從而能平定作障者的危害，保護修行人精勤修持佛法。經中也包含如法行持本經的儀軌修法，並講述了如是修持的諸多利益。
《金光明經》是一部非常重要的佛典，因其經中教導滅除業障之法門「金鼓懺悔法」，並以顯著篇幅針對君主宣說此法護國之利益，因此對於治國者而言具有重要意義，其影響不僅遍及印度，也遠至中國、日本、蒙古等地。如經中所言，讀誦奉持本經不僅能滅除個人之業障，亦能使國土安穩、人民豐樂、無有災殃。 經文記敘妙幢菩薩於夢中見大金鼓光明晃耀，聲中演說懺悔之法。妙幢菩薩即至佛前說此頌文，爾時，釋梵四王等天眾皆誓願擁護此法及其行者。經中強調，若國主恭奉此經，則其國土安樂福利無邊。 本經還記敘了兩則著名的佛陀本生故事：醫者流水救護十千池魚並為之說法，以及摩訶薩埵王子舍身飼虎的事跡。
《明咒妃大隨求母》是《五護陀羅尼》中的一部。這是在信奉大乘佛教的地區裡最廣為流傳的佛經之一，常用於禳災解厄。大隨求母，正如其名所示，將依法繪制書寫的咒文制成護身繩符，佩戴於頸臂，或安置於幢剎、靈塔、火葬柴堆等多有裨益之處，所求必將滿願。佩戴或聽聞此陀羅尼具有多種功效，包括預防和療癒疾病、求得子息、調伏非人鬼神等。此陀羅尼亦能免除惡業之果，救拔罪人脫離惡道，投生天界。經中提到，此陀羅尼增長福德之力，甚至能使行者「正念睡眠、正念覺悟、證大涅槃」。
The Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī with Its Ritual Manual is a short work in which the Buddha Amitāyus teaches the uṣṇīṣavijayā dhāraṇī along with its benefits and a short rite for its recitation.
The Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī with Its Ritual Manual is a short work in which the Buddha Amitāyus teaches the uṣṇīṣavijayā dhāraṇī along with its benefits and a number of short rites for its recitation.
The Noble Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī That Purifies All Lower Rebirths opens with an account of the god Supratiṣṭhita, who seeks the god Śakra’s advice after learning of his own impending death and rebirth in the lower realms. Realizing that the Tathāgata is the only true refuge from lower rebirth, Śakra goes to the Buddha, who explains to him the benefits of the Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī and a number of rituals related to it that can liberate Supratiṣṭhita and all beings from rebirth in the lower realms.
A Ritual Manual for the Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī is a short work in which the Buddha Amitāyus teaches the uṣṇīṣavijayā dhāraṇī along with its benefits and a number of short rites for its recitation.