The Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī
Chapter 5
Toh 543
Degé Kangyur, vol. 88 (rgyud ’bum, na), folios 88.a–334.a (in 1737 par phud printing), 105.a–351.a (in later printings)
- Kumārakalaśa
- Śākya Lodrö
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Translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee
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First published 2020
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa is the largest and most important single text devoted to Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva of wisdom. A revealed scripture, it is, by its own classification, both a Mahāyāna sūtra and a Mantrayāna kalpa (manual of rites). Because of its ritual content, it was later classified as a Kriyā tantra and assigned, based on the hierarchy of its deities, to the Tathāgata subdivision of this class. The Sanskrit text as we know it today was probably compiled throughout the eighth century ᴄᴇ and several centuries thereafter. What makes this text special is that, unlike most other Kriyā tantras, it not only describes the ritual procedures, but also explains them in terms of general Buddhist philosophy, Mahāyāna ethics, and the esoteric principles of the early Mantrayāna (later called Vajrayāna), with an emphasis on their soteriological aims.
Acknowledgements
This translation was produced by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Wiesiek Mical translated the text from the Sanskrit manuscripts, prepared the Sanskrit edition, and wrote the introduction. Paul Thomas, Ryan Damron, Anna Zilman, Bruno Galasek, and Adam Krug then compared the translation draft against the Tibetan text found in the Degé and other editions of the Tibetan Kangyur. Wiesiek Mical then completed the translation by incorporating all the significant variations from the Tibetan translation either into the English translation itself or the annotations.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of 中國宗薩寺堪布彭措郎加, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Text Body
Chapter 5
Now, Lord Śākyamuni, looking at the entire assembly, spoke to Mañjuśrī, the divine youth:
“There is, Mañjuśrī, yet another procedure from your ritual of cloth painting—the medium one. I will teach it now, so listen well and duly reflect upon it. {5.1}
“First, to produce the medium painting, thread should be used as previously described, following the same procedure as before. The work should be done by craftsmen who have been trained beforehand, applying the same measurements as the previous cloth. Just as before, the cloth should be of excellent quality, white, tightly woven, and thoroughly clean603 and have fringe tassels.604 The painting should then be executed using uncontaminated paints free of hairs, dust, or other debris, with everything done just as before, except for the sizes and forms of the painted figures. {5.2}
“First one should paint the realm of the Pure Abode, its form beautiful in every respect, abounding in things made of jewels, and adorned with garlands of white pearls. Portrayed in the middle should be Lord Śākyamuni, sitting on the lion throne expounding the Dharma and excellent in every aspect. {5.3}
“To his right is Noble Mañjuśrī, the color of lotus filaments, saffron, [F.137.b] [F.154.b] or the sun, with a blue lotus near his left shoulder. With the palms of his hands folded in reverence, he looks toward Lord Śākyamuni. He has the form of a divine youth, with a gentle smile on his face, and his head is adorned with a crown of five decorative locks of hair. He is ornamented with the adornments of a young boy and inclines his head toward his right knee. {5.4}
“To the left of Lord Śākyamuni is the noble Avalokiteśvara, white as the autumn moon and painted just as he was described before, but this time fanning the Blessed One with a yak-tail whisk. To his left, arranged one next to the other, are the noble Maitreya, Vajrapāṇi, Mahāmati, Śāntamati, Gaganagañja, and Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin. They should be painted as before and adorned with all kinds of jewelry. {5.5}
“Situated above them the eight blessed buddhas should be painted in a standing position, displaying the boon-granting gesture with their right hands, their bodies covered in the yellow robes of a monk and an upper cloak. With their left hands they hold the corner of their robes. The well-fitting robes are yellowish with a slightly red hue. They are surrounded with halos of light and are excellent in every aspect. The blessed buddhas that should be portrayed are the tathāgatas Saṃkusumitarājendra, Ratnaśikhin, Śikhin, Viśvabhuk, Krakucchanda, Bakagrīvin, Kāśyapa, and Sunetra. {5.6}
“To the right of the Blessed One and near Noble Mañjuśrī should be depicted the great assembly. The eight great śrāvakas and eight pratyekabuddhas should be painted exactly as before, except that the noble Mahāmaudgalyāyana and Śāriputra are standing up and fanning Lord Śākyamuni with a yak-tail whisk. {5.7} [F.138.a] [F.155.a]
“The gods from the realm of the Pure Abode, Śakra, the lord of gods, and Suyāma, as well as the gods from the heavens of Tuṣita, Sunirmita, Śuddha, Vimala, Sudṛśa, Atapas, and Ābhāsvara should also be included. In addition, Brahmā Sahāmpati and the gods from the Akaniṣṭha heaven should be included. These and other gods who dwell in the realm of form and the realm of desire should be painted arranged in sequence, near to Noble Mañjuśrī. They should be painted arranged in tiers above the assembly with their respective features and dress. {5.8}
“Below the lion throne of the Blessed One, a great mountain should be painted rising from a great ocean and extending up to the edges of the canvas. In one corner of the canvas should be depicted the practitioner in the same form and dress as in real life. He should be depicted with his head inclined toward his knees and holding an incense holder in his hand. On the same jewel mountain, below Noble Mañjuśrī, is Yamāntaka, Lord of Wrath. He should be painted as previously described. {5.9}
“To the left of the Blessed One, below his lion throne, and near to the soles of the noble Avalokiteśvara’s feet, the Goddess Tārā should be painted sitting on that jewel mountain. She should be depicted exactly as previously described. The canvas should be strewn all over with flowers, such as champak, fragrant blue lotus, royal jasmine, Arabian jasmine, dhānuṣkārīka jasmine, and blossoms of the pannay tree, ironwood tree, and so forth. {5.10}
“And above, in the upper two corners, two gods should be painted releasing a great flood of flowers. They each have variegated, bright forms and rest within rain clouds in the midst of space. They should be depicted as white and flying. {5.11}
This concludes the detailed fifth chapter, the second in the detailed section on the procedure of cloth painting, from “The Root Manual of Noble Mañjuśrī,” an extensive Mahāyāna sūtra that forms a garland-like basket of bodhisattva teachings.
Colophon
By order of the glorious ruler and renunciant king Jangchub O, this text was translated, edited, and finalized by the great Indian preceptor and spiritual teacher Kumārakalaśa and the translator Lotsawa and monk Śākya Lodrö.3395
Abbreviations
Abbreviations Used in the Introduction and Translation
C | Choné Kangyur |
---|---|
D | Degé Kangyur |
H | Lhasa Kangyur |
J | Lithang Kangyur |
K | Kangxi Kangyur |
L | Shelkar Kangyur |
MMK | Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa |
N | Narthang Kangyur |
Skt. | Sanskrit text of the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa as it is represented in the appendix |
TMK | Tārāmūlakalpa |
Tib. | Tibetan text of the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa as witnessed in the Pedurma Kangyur |
Y | Yongle Kangyur |
Abbreviations Used in the Appendix—Sources for the Sanskrit text of the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa (MMK)
Published editions
M | Martin Delhey 2008 |
---|---|
S | Śāstrī 1920–25 |
V | Vaidya 1964 |
Y | Jayaswal 1934 (the section containing chapter 53 from Śāstrī’s edition of the MMK corrected by Rāhula Saṅkṛtyāyana) |
Manuscripts
A | NAK (National Archives, Kathmandu) accession no. 5/814 |
---|---|
B | NAK accession no. 3/303 |
MSS | all manuscripts (as used for any given section of text) |
R | NAK accession no. 3/645 |
T | manuscript accession no. C-2388 (Thiruvananthapuram) |
Tibetan sources
C | Choné (co ne) Kangyur |
---|---|
D | Degé (sde dge) Kangyur |
H | Lhasa (lha sa/zhol) Kangyur |
J | Lithang (li thang) Kangyur |
K | Kangxi (khang shi) Kangyur |
N | Narthang (snar thang) Kangyur |
TMK | Tibetan translation of the Tārāmūlakalpa (Toh 724) |
Tib. | Tibetan translation (supported by all recensions in the Pedurma Kangyur) |
U | Urga (phyi sog khu re) Kangyur |
Y | Yongle (g.yung lo) Kangyur |
Critical apparatus
* | text illegible (in a manuscript) |
---|---|
+ | text reported as illegible in S, or in Delhey’s transcript of manuscript A |
? | text illegible (in a printed edition) |
[] (square brackets) | text hard to decipher (in a manuscript) |
] | right square bracket marks the lemma quoted from the root text |
a.c. | ante correctionem |
conj. | conjectured |
em. | emended |
lac. | lacunae in the text (physical damage to the manuscript) |
m.c. | metri causa |
om. | omitted |
p.c. | post correctionem |
r | recto |
v | verso |
† (dagger) | text unintelligible |
• (middle dot) | lack of sandhi or partial sandhi |
Bibliography
Source Texts (Sanskrit)
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Manuscript in the National Archives, Kathmandu (Bir 157), accession no. 3/303. Microfilmed by NGMPP, reel A 136/11. Bears the title Mañjuśrījñānatantra.
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Manuscript in the National Archives, Kathmandu, accession no. 5/814. Microfilmed by NGMPP, reel A 39/04.
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Manuscript in the National Archives, Kathmandu (Bir 45), accession no. 3/645. Microfilmed by NGMPP, reel A 124/14.
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Manuscript in the Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library, Thiruvananthapuram, accession no. C-2388.
Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Manuscript in Tokyo University Library, no. 275 in Matsunami’s catalog (Matsunami 1965).
Śāstrī, T. Gaṇapati, ed. The Āryamañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Vols 1–3. Trivandrum Sanskrit Series 70, 76, and 84. Trivandrum: Superintendent Government Press, 1920–25.
Vaidya, P. L., ed. Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa. Mahāyānasūtrasaṃgraha, Part II. Buddhist Sanskrit Texts 18. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Sanskrit Learning, 1964.
Source Texts (Tibetan)
’jam dpal gyi rtsa ba’i rgyud (Mañjuśrīmūlatantra). Toh. 543, Degé Kangyur vol. 88 (rgyud ’bum, na), folios 105.a–351.a.
’jam dpal gyi rtsa ba’i rgyud (Mañjuśrīmūlatantra). bka’ ’gyur (dpe bsdur ma) [Comparative Edition of the Kangyur], krung go’i bod rig pa zhib ’jug ste gnas kyi bka’ bstan dpe sdur khang (The Tibetan Tripitaka Collation Bureau of the China Tibetology Research Center). 108 volumes. Beijing: krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang (China Tibetology Publishing House), 2006–2009. vol. 88, pp. 354–1051.
ral pa gyen brdzes kyi rtog pa chen po (Tārāmūlakalpa). Toh. 724, Degé Kangyur vol. 93 (rgyud ’bum, tsa), folios 205.b–311.a, continued in vol. 94 (rgyud ’bum, tsha), folios 1.b–200.a.
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———(2008). Three unpublished handouts made for the First International Workshop on Early Tantra, Kathmandu, 2008, containing editions of chapters 12, 13, and 51 of the MMK, based on the NAK manuscript accession no. 5/814, reel A 39/04.
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