Niànsòng jiéhùfǎ pǔtōng zhūbù 念誦結護法普通諸部
General [Ritual] for Recitation, Boundary, and Protective Practice across All Families by 金剛智 (Vajrabodhi, 述)
About the work
A one-fascicle Esoteric ritual manual expounded (shù 述) by Vajrabodhi 金剛智 (金剛智) on the general procedures for recitation (niànsòng 念誦), boundary establishment (jiéjiè 結界), and protective practice (hùfǎ 護法) across the principal Esoteric families (zhūbù 諸部 = the five families: Buddha, Vajra, Lotus, Jewel, Karma).
Abstract
The text is a unified ritual manual covering the ritual elements common to all Esoteric sādhana practices regardless of the specific family or deity: the boundary-establishment that consecrates the practice space, the recitation procedures common to kriyā and yoga practices, and the protective practices that guard the practitioner. The text is a working portable reference for the Esoteric ācāryā engaged in any of the principal Esoteric ritual sequences.
The composition dates from Vajrabodhi’s 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.