Rénwáng bōrě niànsòng fǎ 仁王般若念誦法
Method for the Recitation of the Humane Kings Prajñā(pāramitā) by 不空 (Amoghavajra, 譯)
About the work
A one-fascicle abbreviated recitation-method companion to Amoghavajra’s Rénwáng corpus, complementing the more elaborate ritual manual T994 (KR6j0181). The text gives the daily-practice short form of the Rénwáng-state-protection recitation suitable for in-monastery liturgical use, distinct from the elaborated full yoga-tantra altar-rite of T994.
Abstract
The niànsòng fǎ abbreviated method preserves the essential dhāraṇīs and bīja sequences of the full Rénwáng state-protection ritual but compresses the offering-and-dedication framework into a daily-practice format. This pairing of a “full ritual manual” (yíguǐ 儀軌) with an “abbreviated recitation method” (niànsòng fǎ 念誦法) was characteristic of Amoghavajra’s translation programme, allowing the same scripture to be deployed in both elaborate court-protection rites and routine monastic liturgy. Together with KR6j0181 (T994) and KR6j0185 (T996), this triad forms the Esoteric ritual apparatus surrounding Amoghavajra’s Rénwáng corpus.
Translations and research
- Orzech, Charles D. Politics and Transcendent Wisdom: The Scripture for Humane Kings in the Creation of Chinese Buddhism. University Park: Penn State UP, 1998.