Vajrasekhara Sutra
| Part of a series on |
| Vajrayana Buddhism |
|---|
 |
The Vajraśekhara Sūtra is an important
Yogatantra class of texts.[2]
Outline
The tantra begins with
Bodhi
Tree. Enlightenment is imminent, but the Prince has still not attained it because he is still attached in some small way to his forsaken ascetic practices. Despairing over his inability to find Enlightenment, he is visited by Buddhist figures who were just now learning the Dharma from Vairocana.
These same deities proceed to teach him a more direct path to Enlightenment through tantric ritual. The tantra then details the rituals used to actualize the Dharma. These rituals help forming the basis of tantric ritual in Shingon Buddhism, including such practices as meditating upon the full moon and the use of certain mantras.
This tantra also introduces the
bodhisattvas
gathered there, one by one, into tantric deities who constitute the Mandala.
In tantric ritual, the teacher assumes the role of the Prince who constructs the Mandala, while the master and student repeat specific mantras in a form of dialogue. The student, who is
blindfolded, then throws a flower upon the Mandala that is constructed, and where it lands (i.e. which deity) helps dictate where the student should focus his devotion on the tantric path. From there, the student's blindfold is removed and a vajra
is placed in hand.
See also
- Chinese Esoteric Buddhism
- Kūkai
- Mahavairocana Sutra
- Shingon
References
- ^ "サービス終了のお知らせ".
- ^ Weinberger, Stephen, Neal (2003). The Significance of Yoga Tantra and the Compendium of Principles within Tantric Buddhism in India and Tibet (PDF). Dissertation, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-25.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Literature
- Ryuichi Abe: The Weaving of Mantra: Kukai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-231-11286-6