Dàlè jīngāng bùkōng zhēnshí sānmèiyé jīng bōrě bōluómìduō lǐqù shì 大樂金剛不空真實三昧耶經般若波羅蜜多理趣釋
Exegesis on the Adhyardhaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā: The Sūtra of the Great-Bliss Vajra-Unfailing-Reality Samaya by 不空 (Amoghavajra, 譯)
About the work
A two-fascicle exegetical commentary by Amoghavajra (不空) on the Adhyardhaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā — the “150-line” Prajñāpāramitā sūtra better known by its short title Lǐqù jīng 理趣經 (KR6c0009 T243) — interpreting the text within the Tang Esoteric Vajraśekhara mandala framework as the doctrinal-philosophical kernel of yoga-tantra practice. The text is the most important single Esoteric exegesis in the Tang corpus and became the central commentarial reference for the Japanese Shingon and Tendai-Esoteric Lǐqù-tradition exegetical literature.
Abstract
The Lǐqù jīng / Adhyardhaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā is a short Prajñāpāramitā sūtra of approximately 150 lines that develops the Vajra-yoga-tantra doctrine of “great-bliss” (mahā-sukha 大樂) — the union of prajñā (wisdom) and upāya (skilful means) figured as the union of vajra (the male principle) and padma (the female principle, the lotus). Amoghavajra’s Lǐqù shì gives the canonical Esoteric exegesis of this short sūtra, demonstrating its alignment with the Vajraśekhara mandala system and its central place in the Vajradhātu Lotus-Family tradition. The text became the principal commentarial reference for Kūkai’s (空海) Lǐqù jīng exegesis and for the entire Japanese Lǐqù-tradition commentary literature. The text’s combination of Prajñāpāramitā doctrinal content with Vajraśekhara-mandala practical orientation made it the bridge text between the Tang Mahāyāna doctrinal traditions and the Esoteric yoga-tantra practice — a position it retained through the Sòng, Yuán, and Japanese Shingon-Tendai exegetical traditions.
Translations and research
- Astley-Kristensen, Ian. The Rishukyō: The Sino-Japanese Tantric Prajñāpāramitā in 150 Verses (Amoghavajra’s Version). Tring: Institute of Buddhist Studies, 1991. — definitive English translation and study of the Lǐqù jīng and Amoghavajra’s exegesis.
- Conze, Edward. The Prajñāpāramitā Literature. The Hague: Mouton, 1960. — for the Prajñāpāramitā corpus.
- Toganoo Shōun 栂尾祥雲. Rishukyō no kenkyū 理趣經の研究. Kōyasan: Kōyasan Daigaku, 1930. — classic Shingon study of the Lǐqù jīng commentarial tradition.