Shíbā qìyìn 十八契印
The Eighteen Mudrās (Jp. Jūhachi-keiin) by 惠果 (Huìguǒ, 造)
About the work
A one-fascicle treatise on the eighteen fundamental mudrās (十八契印 shíbā qìyìn) of Esoteric ritual practice, composed (zào 造) by Huìguǒ 惠果 (惠果, 746–805) — the seventh Tang Esoteric patriarch and master of Kūkai. The text is one of the very few extant compositions explicitly attributed to Huìguǒ himself (most of his transmission is preserved only through the works of his successors).
Abstract
The Shíbā qìyìn presents the eighteen fundamental Esoteric mudrās (hand-gestures / seals) that constitute the basic ritual repertoire of the dual-mandala (Garbhadhātu + Vajradhātu) tradition. Each mudrā is described in formation, accompanied by its characteristic mantra and visualisation. The text is foundational for the Esoteric ritual practice in both the Tang Tángmì tradition and the Japanese Shingon and Tendai-Esoteric traditions that derived from Huìguǒ’s lineage.
The eighteen mudrās serve as the ritual building-blocks from which the longer sādhana sequences are constructed. Their codification by Huìguǒ — synthesising the Garbhadhātu mudrās (from the Śubhakarasiṃha–Yīxíng tradition) with the Vajradhātu mudrās (from the Vajrabodhi–Amoghavajra tradition) — exemplifies the Jīntāi búèr 金胎不二 (Diamond-Womb non-dual) synthesis that Huìguǒ established as the foundation of Tang Esoteric practice.
The composition dates from Huìguǒ’s mature career as Qīnglóngsì master, conventionally bracketed 766–805 (his death year).
Translations and research
- Yamasaki Taikō. Shingon: Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. Boston: Shambhala, 1988. — Discusses the eighteen mudrās.
- Abé, Ryūichi. The Weaving of Mantra. New York: Columbia UP, 1999. — On Huìguǒ’s lineage.