The Mahāmāyā Tantra
Toh 425
Degé Kangyur, vol. 80 (rgyud ’bum, nga), folios 167.a–171.a
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2013
Current version v 2.16.9 (2021)
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Mahāmāyātantra, named after its principal deity Mahāmāyā, is a tantra of the Yoginītantra class in which Mahāmāyā presides over a maṇḍala populated primarily by yoginīs and ḍākinīs. The practitioner engages the antinomian power of these beings through a threefold system of yoga involving the visualization of the maṇḍala deities, the recitation of their mantras, and the direct experience of absolute reality. As well as practices involving the manipulation of the body’s subtle energies, the Mahāmāyātantra incorporates the transgressive practices that are the hallmark of the earlier tantric systems such as the Guhyasamājatantra, specifically the ingestion of sexual fluids and other polluting substances. The tantra promises the grace of Mahāmāyā in the form of mundane and transcendent spiritual attainments to those who approach it with diligence and devotion.
Acknowledgments
This text was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee. The translation was prepared by Ryan Damron with the assistance of Catherine Dalton, and was edited by Andreas Doctor.
This translation has been completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Bibliography
Sanskrit and Tibetan Sources
dpal sgyu ’phrul chen po’i rgyud kyi rgyal po. Toh. 425. Degé Kangyur vol. 80 (rgyud ’bum, nga), folios 167.a–171.a.
dpal sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i rgyud kyi rgyal po. Lhasa Kangyur vol. 82 (rgyud ’bum, nga), folios 43.a–49.b.
sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i rgyud. Narthang Kangyur vol. 83 (rgyud ’bum, nga), folios 38.a–44.b.
dpal sgyu ’phrul chen po’i rgyud. Peking Kangyur, rgyud ’bum, vol. nga, folios 153.a–157.a.
sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i rgyud. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 94 (rgyud ’bum, ga), folios 344.b–349.b.
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Kṛṣṇavajra. sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i rgyud kyi ’grel pa dran pa (*Mahāmāyātantrasya vṛtti smṛti) [Recollection: A Commentary on the Mahāmāyā Tantra]. Toh 1624, Degé Tengyur vol. 25 (rgyud ’grel, ya), folios 201.a–219.a. (S)
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____________. Mahāmāyāsādhanam [A Sādhana for the Mahāmāyātantra]: (1) sgyu ma chen mo’i sgrub thabs (Mahāmāyāsādhanam). Toh 1643, Degé Tengyur vol. 25 (rgyud ’grel, ya), folios 269.b–273.b. (2) In Sādhanamālā vol. 2. Edited by Benoytosh Bhattacarya, 458–64. Baroda: Oriental Institute, 1968. (SM)
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____________. sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i khrid yig rgyal ba’i lam bzang [The Excellent Path of the Victorious Ones: The Instruction Manual for Mahāmāyā]. Ibid., vol. 11 (da), pp. 447–64.
____________. dpal ma ha ma ya’i dkyil ’khor gyi sgrub thabs rin chen myu gu [The Jeweled Sprout: A Practice Manual for the Maṇḍala of the Glorious Mahāmāyā]. Ibid., vol. 11 (da), pp. 431–45.
’gos lo tsa wa gzhon nu dpal. deb ther sngon po. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1974. Translated as The Blue Annals, see below.
English Sources
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English, Elizabeth. Vajrayoginī: Her Visualizations, Rituals, and Forms. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2002.
’gos lo tsa wa. The Blue Annals. Translated by George N. Roerich. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1988.
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Isaacson, Harunaga. “Ratnākaraśānti’s Hevajrasahajasadyoga: Studies in Ratnākaraśānti’s Tantric Works I.” In Le Parole e i Marmi: studi in onore di Raniero Gnoli nel suo 70° compleanno, 457–87. Vol. 1 of Serie Orientale Roma XCII. Roma: Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente, 2001.
Kongtrul, Jamgön. The Treasury of Knowledge: The Elements of Tantric Practice. Translated by Elio Guarisco and Ingrid McLeod. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2008.
Sanderson, Alexis. “The Śaiva Age.” In Genesis and Development of Tantra, edited by Shingo Einoo, 17–349. Tokyo: Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, 2009.