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Mahavairocana Tantra

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The Garbhadhatu ma??ala as used in Subhakarasi?ha's teachings from the


Mahavairocana Tantra. Vairocana is located in the center.
The Mahavairocana Tantra (traditional Chinese ????????????; ; pinyin D Plzhen
Chngf Shnbin Jiach Jing; also known as ??? Da ri Jing) is an important
Vajrayana Buddhist text. It is also known as the Mahavairocana Abhisa?bodhi Tantra,
or more fully as the Mahavairocana Abhisa?bodhi Vikurvita Adhi??hana Tantra. In
Tibet it is considered to be a member of the Carya class of tantras. In Japan where
it is known as the Mahavairocana Sutra, it is one of two central texts in the
Shingon school, along with the Vajrasekhara Sutra. Both are also part of the Tendai
school.

Contents [hide]
1 Composition & history
2 Contents
2.1 Chapters
2.2 Esoteric Precepts
2.3 Shingon Lineage
3 Understanding of Enlightenment
4 Popular culture
5 Notes
6 Bibliography
7 External links
Composition & history[edit]
The Mahavairocana Tantra is the first true Buddhist tantra, the earliest
comprehensive manual of tantric Buddhism. It was probably composed in the middle of
the 7th century, in all probability in north-eastern India at Nalanda.[1] The
Sanskrit text of the Mahavairocana Tantra is lost, but it survives in Chinese and
Tibetan translations. The Chinese translation has preserved the original Sanskrit
mantras in the Siddha? script. There are translations from both into English. (see
below).

The text was translated into Chinese in 724 by Subhakarasi?ha who had travelled to
China from Nalanda. It is possible that the Sanskrit text was taken to China circa
674 by the Chinese pilgrim Wu-xing. It was translated into Tibetan sometime before
812 by Silendrabodhi and dPal brTsegs.[2]

A major commentary by Buddhaguhya was written in about 760 and is preserved in


Tibetan. Hodge translates it into English alongside the text itself.

Kukai learned of the Mahavairocana Tantra in 796, and travelled to China in 804 to
receive instruction in it.

Contents[edit]
The Mahavairocana Tantra consists of three primary mandalas corresponding to the
body, speech and mind of Mahavairocana, as well as preliminary practices and
initiation rituals. According to Buddhaguhyas Pi??artha (a summary of the main
points of the tantra) the Mahavairocana Tantra system of practice is in three
stages preliminary, application, and accomplishment. Attached here and there are
doctrinal passages, and sadhana practices which relate back to the main mandalas.

The following outline is based on Hodge's translation of the Tibetan version of the
Sutra. The Chinese version has differences in the order of the chapters.

Chapters[edit]
I - The sutra begins in a timeless setting of Mahavairocana Buddha's palace
(symbolizing all of existence), with a dialogue between Mahavairocana Buddha and
his disciple Vajrasattva. In chapter one, Mahavairocana Buddha expounds the Dharma
to a great host of bodhisattvas, with emphasis on the relationship between form and
emptiness.
II-VI Three chapter on the mandala of the Body Mystery with detailed instruction on
the laying out of the mandala and the abhi?ekha ritual. This mandala is also known
as the Mandala of the Womb Realm (Sanskrit Garbhakosha).
VII-IX Three miscellaneous chapters originally at the end of the text. They are at
the end in the Chinese version.
X-XII Three chapters on the mandala of the Speech Mystery. Includes a series of
glosses on meditating using the letter of the alphabet in various combinations.
XII-XVI Five chapters on the mandala of the Mind Mystery
XVII A stand alone chapter that may once have circulated separately.
XVIII-XIX A further chapter regarding meditating on the letters of the alphabet
which involves placing them around the body while visualising oneself as the
Buddha.
XX A standalone chapter address to bodhisattvas
XXI-XXV Four chapters on the 100 syllable meditation.
XXVI-XXX Five miscellaneous chapters including the six homa rites.
Esoteric Precepts[edit]
Chapter 2 of the sutra also contains four precepts, called the samaya, that form
the basic precepts esoteric Buddhist practitioners must follow

Not to abandon the true Dharma


Not to deviate from one's own enlightened mind
Not to be reserved in sharing with others the Buddhist teachings
Not to bring harm to any sentient beings
Shingon Lineage[edit]
The Mahavairocana Tantra does not trace its lineage to Shakyamuni Buddha, the
founder of Buddhism. Instead it comes directly from Mahavairocana. The lineage then
being, according to the Shingon tradition

Vajrasattva, the disciple of Mahavairocana Buddha in this sutra.


Nagarjuna received the text of the Mahavairocana Tantra directly from Vajrasattva
inside an iron stupa in South India.
Nagabodhi, Nagarjuna's disciple
Vajrabodhi, an Indian monk famous for translating esoteric rituals into Chinese
language
Amoghavajra, Vajrabodhi's famous disciple, and expert in esoteric practices
Hui-kuo, a Chinese esoteric master
Kukai, founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan.
Understanding of Enlightenment[edit]
Within the vision of the Mahavairocana Sutra, the state of bodhi (Awakening
Enlightenment) is seen as naturally inherent to the mind - the mind's natural and
pure state (as in Dzogchen and Tathagatagarbha) - and is viewed as the perceptual
sphere of non-duality, where all false distinctions between a perceiving subject
and perceived objects are lifted and the true state of things (non-duality) is
revealed. This is also the understanding of Enlightenment found in Yogacara
Buddhism. To achieve this vision of non-duality, it is necessary to recognise one's
own mind. Writing on the Mahavairocana Sutra, Buddhist scholar and translator of
that scripture, Stephen Hodge, comments[3]

... when the MVT [i.e. Mahavairocana Tantra] speaks of knowing your mind as it
truly is, it means that you are to know the inherent natural state of the mind by
eliminating the split into a perceiving subject and perceived objects which
normally occurs in the world and is wrongly thought to be real. This also
corresponds to the Yogacara definition ... that emptiness (sunyata) is the absence
of this imaginary split. ... We may further elucidate the meaning of Perfect
Enlightenment and hence of the intrinsic nature of the mind by correlating terms
[which Buddhist commentator on the Mahavairocana Sutra,] Buddhaguhya, treats as
synonyms. For example, he defines emptiness (sunyata) as suchness (tathata) and
says that suchness is the intrinsic nature (svabhava) of the mind which is
Enlightenment (bodhi-citta). Moreover, he frequently uses the terms suchness
(tathata) and Suchness-Awareness (tathata-jnana) interchangeably. But since
Awareness (jnana) is non-dual, Suchness-Awareness is not so much the Awareness of
Suchness, but the Awareness which is Suchness. In other words, the term Suchness-
Awareness is functionally equivalent to Enlightenment. Finally, it must not be
forgotten that this Suchness-Awareness or Perfect Enlightenment is Mahavairocana
[the Primal Buddha, uncreated and forever existent]. In other words, the mind in
its intrinsic nature is Mahavairocana, whom one becomes (or vice-versa) when one is
perfectly enlightened.

The text also speaks of how all things can be accomplished once 'non-dua

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