Sūpóhū tóngzǐ qǐngwèn jīng 蘇婆呼童子請問經
Sūtra of the Questions of the Youth Subāhu (Skt. Subāhu-paripṛcchā-sūtra; Jp. Sōba-ko dōji shōmon-kyō) by 善無畏 (Śubhakarasiṃha, 譯)
About the work
A three-fascicle Esoteric kriyā-tantra scripture translated by Śubhakarasiṃha (善無畏) — the Subāhu-paripṛcchā (Sūpóhū tóngzǐ qǐngwèn) — set as a dialogue between Vajrapāṇi and the youth Subāhu 蘇婆呼 on the proper conduct and rules of Esoteric practice. Together with the Mahāvairocana-sūtra (KR6j0001) and the Susiddhikara (KR6j0061), this text constitutes the threefold kriyā-tantra core of the Tang Esoteric corpus transmitted by Śubhakarasiṃha.
Abstract
The Subāhu-paripṛcchā presents the Esoteric kriyā tradition’s framework of practice through a dialogic exposition: the youth Subāhu asks Vajrapāṇi about (i) the qualifications of an Esoteric practitioner, (ii) the rules and observances (samaya) of the path, (iii) the sequence of ritual practice, (iv) the obstacles and their remedies, and (v) the final attainment. Vajrapāṇi’s responses constitute a systematic exposition of the kriyā tradition’s ethical-practical framework.
The text is the principal practical-ethical complement to the more doctrinal-iconographic Mahāvairocana-sūtra and the more ritually-systematic Susiddhikara. Together the three Śubhakarasiṃha kriyā-tantras give the Tang Esoteric tradition’s complete foundational corpus.
The translation dates from Śubhakarasiṃha’s mature Chángān period (724–735).
Translations and research
- Hodge, Stephen. The Mahā-Vairocana-Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003. — Background on the Tang Esoteric kriyā corpus.
- Skilling, Peter. “Notes on the Subāhuparipṛcchā-sūtra.” Bulletin of the Center for Buddhist Studies (Bangkok). — Discusses the Sanskrit and Tibetan parallels.