Jīngāngfēng lóugé yīqiè yújiā yújí jīng 金剛峰樓閣一切瑜伽瑜祇經
Sūtra of All-Yoga (Sarvayoga) Yogin (Yogi) of the Vajra-Peak Pavilion (Skt. Vajraśekhara / Sarvayoga-tantra) by 金剛智 (Vajrabodhi, 譯)
About the work
A two-fascicle yoga-tantra translation by Vajrabodhi 金剛智 (金剛智). Conventionally referred to in shortened form as the Yújí jīng 瑜祇經 (Jp. Yugi-kyō) — a key Vajradhātu yoga-tantra text in the Vajraśekhara family. The title’s Jīngāngfēng lóugé (Vajraśekhara-pavilion) is the cosmic abode in the Akaniṣṭha heaven where the discourse is preached; Sarvayoga-yogin identifies the scripture as the all-encompassing yoga of the Vajradhātu tradition.
Abstract
The Yújí jīng is one of the principal Vajradhātu yoga-tantra texts beyond the foundational Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha (T865) — a tantric scripture that builds on the basic Vajradhātu mandalic framework with more elaborate yoga practices. The text is set at the Vajra-Peak Pavilion in the Akaniṣṭha heaven where Mahāvairocana is surrounded by his Five-Buddha retinue and additional Vajradhātu deities including the eight Vidyārājas and the eight Mātṛkā goddesses (hachi-bosatsu 八菩薩).
The text’s distinctive feature is its eight-petaled lotus mandala with Mahāvairocana central and eight surrounding directional deities — the so-called Yugi-kyō mandala of the Japanese Esoteric tradition, which became one of the principal alternative mandalic arrangements alongside the standard Vajradhātu Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha mandala.
The text was extensively studied in the Japanese Esoteric tradition; both Annen (安然) and Shinjaku (眞寂) produced substantial commentaries on it (KR6j0032 and KR6j0033 respectively). Translation date is the Vajrabodhi Chángān period (720–741).
Translations and research
- Sundberg, Jeffrey, and Rolf Giebel. “The Life of the Tang Court Monk Vajrabodhi.” Pacific World 13 (2011): 129–222.
- Yamasaki Taikō. Shingon: Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. Boston: Shambhala, 1988. — Discusses the Yugi-kyō mandala in the Shingon tradition.