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The Matrix and Diamond World Mandalas in Shingon Buddhism

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Item Code: NAN101
Author: Adrian Snodgrass
Publisher: ADITYA PRAKASHAN
Language: English
Edition: 1997
ISBN: 8185179271
Pages: 863 (372 B/W Illustrations)
Cover: Hardcover
Other Details 11.5 inch X 9.0 inch
Weight 2.40 kg
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Book Description
Preface

This study lays no claim to originality. It offers no thesis nor interpretations, but allows the Shingon texts to speak for themselves. It is solely concerned to present the theories and practices connected with the two mandalas as understood by the shingon sadhakas. It is a compendium of translations and paraphrases of materials from three primary and three secondary sources: the Mahavairocana-sutra (Dainichikyo) the vajra-sekhara sutra (Kongochokyo) Subhakarasimha’s (Zemmui’s) Dainichikyosho (“Commentary on the Mahavairocana sutra”), the Mikkyo Daijiten (“A Dictionary of Esoteric Buddhism”) the Bukkyo Daijiten (“A Dictionary of Buddhism”) and Toganoo Shoun’s Mandara no Kenkyu (“Studies in the Mandala”)

The Study has four parts:

Part: The first locates the two Mandalas in the theoretical and practical setting of Esoteric Buddhism. It discusses some of the principal features of Shingon doctrine and Ritual; it describes two important rituals as examples of esoteric Buddhist practice; it examines the Homa rituals, the performance of which is the main practice of the sect and recurrently referred to in the literature dealing with the two Mandalas; and it gives a brief description of Buddhist cosmology, necessary for an understanding of the cosmological references in the Mndalas.

Part 2: the Second part of the study looks at several general considerations concerning the two Mandalas: their transmission, the meaning of the term mandala and the relation of the two mandalas to each other.

Part 3: The third part looks at the meanings of the Matrix Mandala and its several Mansions.

Part 4: This analyses the Diamond World Mandala and its Nine Assemblies.

I thank Prof. Lokesh Chandra for his kind offer to publish this work in the Sataptaka Series. The Manuscripts is as I presented it to him, complete with faults. The responsibility for scholarly and typographical errors and for solecisms and errors of translation and understanding is entirely my own.

 

Contents

 

  List of Illustrations vii
  Preface xviii
Part 1 Prolegomention: Esteric Doctrine and Practice  
1 The characteristics of the Esoteric Doctrine 1
2 The Esoteric Doctrine of Non-duality 12
3 The Three Universals and Practice 33
4 The Meditation on the Bodhimanda 59
5 The Meditation on the Body Composed of the Five forms 77
6 The Homa Rituals 82
7 The Buddhist Cosmology 97
Part 2 The Two Mandals  
8 The Line of Transmission of the Two Mandalas 111
9 The Word Mandala in the Mahavairocana-sutra 120
10 The Relationship of the Two Mandalas 124
11 The layout of the Two Mandalas 142
Part 3. The Matrix Mandala  
12 The Laying Out of the Matrix Mandala 152
13 The Subhakarasimha and Amoghavajra Interpretations of the Matrix Mandala 171
14 The Genzu Matrix Mandala 183
15 The Layers of the Mandala and the Buddha Bodies 187
16 The Layers of the Mandala and the Stages to Awakening 193
17 The Three Sections of the Matrix Mandal 201
18 The Central Dais Eight Petal Mansion 207
19 The Five Buddhas and the Four Bodhisattavas of the Central Mansion 215
20 The Universal Knowledge Mansion 251
21 The Mansion of t he Mantra Holders 269
22 The Avalokitesvara Mansion 284
23 The Vajrapani Mansion 313
24 The Sakyamuni Mansion 335
25 The Manjusri Mansion 378
26 The Sarva-nivarana-Viskambhi Mansion 392
27 The Ksitigarbha Mansion 406
28 The akasagarbha Mansion 417
29 The Susiddhi Mansion 445
Volume 2

 

Part 3 The Matrix Mandala (Cont.)  
30 The Mansion of the External Vajra Section 454
Part 4 The Diamond World Mandala  
31 The Nine Assemblies 555
32 Different Paintings of the Diamond World Mandala 565
33 The Two Revelations of the Diamond World Mandala 570
34 The Layout of the Perfected Body Assembly 576
35 The Buddhas of the Perfected Body Assembly 590
36 The Attendant Bodhisattvas: the four Paramita Bodhisattavas 598
37 The Bodhisattavas of Reciprocal Offering 620
38 The thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa 634
39 The Section of Outside the Vajras 637
40 The Samaya Assembly 644
41 The subtle Assembly 665
42 The Offerings Assembly 674
43 The Four Seals Assembly 685
44 The One Seal Assembly 695
45 The Naya Assembly 703
46 The Trailokyavijaya Assembly and the Trailokyavijaya Samaya assembly 716
  Appendices  
1 The Fifty Two Bodhisattva Stages 728
2 Initiation 732
3 The Samaya Forms of the Five Buddhas and the Four Bodhisattvas of the Central Mansion 735
4 The Seed Syllables of the five Buddhas and Four Bodhisattvas of the Central mansion 741
5 The Mudras and Dharanis of the Five Buddhas and Four Bodhisattvas of the Central Mansion 747
6 The Kaji Enjoyment Body and the fundamental Ground Body 763
  Bibliography 766
  Index of Names 771
  General Index 795
  Index of Texts Cited 835

 






















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