Dōng màntúluó chāo 東曼荼羅抄
Compendium on the Eastern Maṇḍala by 覺超 (撰)
About the work
A three-fascicle systematic compendium on the “Eastern Maṇḍala” — i.e., the Garbha-realm maṇḍala (which traditionally occupies the eastern position in the dual-maṇḍala arrangement) — by Kakuchō 覺超 (960–1034). The work treats the four maṇḍala-types (sì-zhǒng màn-tú-luó 四種曼荼羅) — the Mahā-maṇḍala (great-form), Samaya-maṇḍala (vow-symbol), Dharma-maṇḍala (seed-syllable letter-array), and Karma-maṇḍala (action-act) — as they apply to the Garbha-realm cycle.
Abstract
Authorship and date as the companion Kakuchō works: 990–1034 CE.
The work opens with the standard exegetical framing: “*In the present ritual-manuals, the various assemblies’ maṇḍalas are explained, but the text-meaning is hidden and students often go astray — this is the way of the esoteric. I now, for the sake of self-practice, compile the various texts. Annen Hé-shàng examined the meaning of the sūtras and commentaries and brought out the four-type maṇḍalas. I now will discuss them under his division. First, show the place of the sūtra’s preaching; second, cite the sūtra-and-commentary text…”
The three fascicles unfold the four maṇḍalas for each of the major Garbha-realm liturgical events: the Initial Assembly, the Conditioned-Mantra Chapter, the Wheel-of-Letters Transformation Chapter, etc. Each maṇḍala-type is given a distinct treatment, with attention to the variants in Tang Shingon and Taimitsu transmission.
The work bears a copy colophon: “[On the order of the] former Bishop Keisan of Hōman-in [Dharma-Curtain Cloister], copied from the Eastern Hieizan Tenkai Repository’s imperial original; for the flourishing of the Buddha-Dharma, [this copy] has been deposited in the Hōman repository. Jōkyō 2, yi-yi [1685 CE], 5th month, 24th day. Scribe: a member of the Bizen-no-Ashitayama residence, Shūenbō.”
Translations and research
- No complete Western-language translation located.
- Misaki Ryōshū 三崎良周, Taimitsu no kenkyū (Tokyo: Sōbunsha, 1988).
Other points of interest
The “East-West maṇḍala” pairing of KR6t0100 and KR6t0101 is a distinctively Taimitsu organizational principle, reflecting the dual-maṇḍala (Garbha-East, Vajra-West) seating arrangement of the Taimitsu altar tradition.