Fàntiān zédì fǎ 梵天擇地法
Method of Brahma’s Site-Selection (anonymous)
About the work
A one-fascicle anonymous Esoteric ritual text on site-selection (zédì 擇地) for Esoteric ritual practice, attributed in its title to Fàntiān 梵天 (= Brahmā). Site-selection — choosing an auspicious location for the construction of the mandala-altar (maṇḍala-bhūmi) — is one of the foundational preparatory rites of Esoteric practice.
Abstract
The text gives the criteria for selecting an auspicious site for mandala construction: terrain features, soil characteristics, orientation, freedom from obstructive influences (vighna), proximity to water, and visibility of the site to the sky. The Fàntiān (Brahmā) attribution invokes the deity-of-creation as the legitimating authority for the geomantic prescriptions. The text is conventionally dated to the Tang Esoteric period (8th–9th c.).
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.