Jīngāngdǐng Pǔxián yúqié dàjiàowáng jīng dàlè bùkōng jīngāng sàduǒ yīqiè shífāng chéngjiù yí 金剛頂普賢瑜伽大教王經大樂不空金剛薩埵一切時方成就儀
Ritual of Accomplishment in All Times and Directions of the Great-Bliss Amogha-Vajrasattva, from the Vajraśekhara Samantabhadra-Yoga Mahā-Tantra-Rāja Sūtra (translator: anonymous, attributed circle of 不空)
About the work
A one-fascicle Tang Esoteric ritual manual on the Great-Bliss Amogha-Vajrasattva (大樂不空金剛薩埵 Dàlè Bùkōng Jīngāngsàduǒ) — the Mahāsukha-Amoghavajrasattva — drawn from the Vajraśekhara Samantabhadra-Yoga-Mahātantrarāja-sūtra (金剛頂普賢瑜伽大教王經). The “Amoghavajrasattva” of the title — the indestructible-non-failing Vajrasattva — is the doctrinally-charged form of Vajrasattva developed in the anuttarayoga-tantra-precursor materials of the Lǐqùjīng cycle. The text is unattributed but is associated with Amoghavajra’s (不空) translation circle. The ritual is yīqiè shífāng — “for all times and directions” — i.e., a universally-applicable form that can be performed at any time and in any orientation, contrary to the more restrictive muhūrta-limited rituals of the standard kriyā-tantra.
Prefaces
The text opens with the standard vandanā-verse pattern in gāthā form, invoking Mahāsukha-Vajrasattva as the central deity.
Abstract
The text expounds the operative procedure for the yīqiè shífāng (universal-time-and-directions) accomplishment of the Mahāsukha-Amogha-Vajrasattva: the deity-visualisation, the mūla-mantra, the mudrā repertoire, the abhiṣeka sequence, and the homa offerings. The doctrinal innovation of the text is its emphasis on the yīqiè shífāng universality of the practice — the practitioner is empowered to perform the sādhana at any moment and in any direction, dissolving the muhūrta-and-diś restrictions of the more elementary kriyā-tantra operations. This reflects the theological doctrine of the Lǐqùjīng cycle that all of phenomenal reality is the manifestation of mahāsukha-vajrasattva, hence the practice cannot be temporally or spatially restricted.
The text companions KR6j0333 (T1119), KR6j0334 (T1120A), KR6j0335 (T1120B), and KR6j0337 (T1122) — the principal Mahāsukha-Vajrasattva yíguǐ cluster.
Translations and research
- Astley-Kristensen, Ian. The Rishukyō. Tring: Institute of Buddhist Studies, 1991.
- Orzech, Charles D. Politics and Transcendent Wisdom. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998.