THEGODSOFNORTHERNBUDDHISMTHEGODSOFNORTHEIRMISTOI-50 YJHM388A HO WlR-gOO sTOXFORDAT T H E C L AR.E N1) O! VHK^191tTHEGODSOFNORTHERNBUDDHISMTHEIRHISTORY,ICONOGRAPHY ANDPROGRESSIVEEVOLUTIONTHROUGHTHENORTHERNBUDDHISTCOUNTRIESBYWITHA GENERAL INTRODUCTION ON BUDDHISMTRANSLATEDFROM THE FRENCHOFJ. DENIKERDOCTEURESSCIENCESILLUSTKATIONS FEOM THE COLLECTION OFHENRYH. GETTYOXFORDAT THECLARENDON PRESS1914AUTHORS PREFACEIT is difficult for thosewhoareunacquaintedwith theiconographyofthegodsoftheMahayanaPantheon to realize thedegreeof interest thatmaybe attachedtoevenacruderepresentationofaNorthernBuddhistdivinity.Totheuninitiated theimagesof thesedeities areonlyofvalueasworksofart,orasgrotesquecurios,withtheir various headsandmanyarms;buttotheinitiated,apartfrom their artisticmerit,theyfurnish an almost inexhaustiblefundforstudyandresearch.The most accurate source of information inregardto the Northern Buddhistdivinities has beenfoundin thesadliana,ortextsofinvocationsofthegods,in whichtheyare described with muchdetail.Unfortunately,sadhana of all thegodsoftheMahayanaPantheonhavenotasyetbeendiscovered,andthereremaina numberofdeities aboutwhomverylittle is known. Atany moment,however,aflood oflightmaybe thrown on theseobscuredivinities, for,amongothers,Mr.EkaiKawaguchi(a JapaneseBuddhistpriestwhospentthreeyearsin Tibetdisguisedas a Chinesemonk)istranslatingsomevaluablemanuscriptswhich hesucceeded incarryingoutofTibet,Thestudyoftheiconographyof theNorthernBuddhistdeities is therefore in itsinfancy.With theexceptionof a feweruditebooks,little has beenwrittenonthesubject,and it isonly by persistentresearch,andbyacomparative studyof theexamplesin themuseumsofEurope,India,andJapan,aswell as in thetemplesoftheNorthern Buddhistcountries,that one can arrive at acomprehensive knowledgeofthesegodsandof theirevolutionduringtheprocessof transmissionfromIndiaviaChineseTurkestan(andlater,throughTibet)toChina,Mongolia,andJapan.The Tibetan andMongolianlamas,from whom one wouldexpecttogetmuch valuableinformation, are,unfortunately,with fewexceptions,more versedin thetenetsoftheirreligionthan in theiconographyof theirgods: andasTibet isstill a forbidden land,intercourse with the Tibetan lamas in their owncountryispractically impossible. AmongtheJapaneseBuddhistpriests,however,therearesomeverylearnedmen.Throughthe kindness of the late Professor ArthurLloyd,whose death hasrecentlydeprived Japanof one of itsgreatestauthorities onJapaneseBuddhism,I wasputinto communicationwith Mr. S.Tachibana,Buddhistpriestand Sanskritscholar,whohaskindlymademanyresearches forme. Ihavealsoto thank SramanaKawaguchiof Benares,Sramana JeshuOda,Rectorof theChomojiMonastery atNagoya,andMr. HanazonoofTokyo,for theirhelpinmakingcertain researchespossible.VII owespecialthanks to M. A. Foucher for hiskindness inreadingthroughmy manuscriptand,as I am not a Sanskritscholar,inrevisingthemarkingofthe letters in the Sanskrit words used in the text. I am also muchindebted tohim,as well as to SirAurelStein,explorerinCentralAsia,to Herr von LeCoq,explorerin ChineseTurkestanandattached totheMuseumfiirYolkerkunde,Berlinaswell as toMr. E. DenisonRoss,officer inchargeoftheRecordsof theGovernmentofIndia,andphilologicalsecretaryoftheAsiaticSocietyofBengal,for theirkindnessingivingmeopportunitiesofstudyingBuddhisttemplepaintings, frescoes,andminiatureswhicharenotaccessible tothegeneral public.Myinitiation into theintricacies of theMahayana systemIowe to M. J.Deniker,whosegeneralstudyon the vast andcomplicateddoctrineof Buddhism inits various ramifications will form asufficientintroduction to thesubjectfor thegeneralreader,andwillenablehimtoapproachwith a fairmeasureofequipmentthedetailed discussion ofthe individualdeities,theirsymbolsandcharacteristics,foundin thefollowingpages.IplacemybookundertheprotectionofthegoddessSarasvati.Maysheinspireher consortMaiijusrlto draw his sword ofWisdom and(Adi-Buddha)(Whoseessence is theThunderbolt).Buddha ofSupreme Intelligence.(T.) rdo-rje scms-dpah (soulofthethunderbolt).Colour : white.(C.)Siian-tzu-lo-sa-tsui(ffi ^ ^ ||t^)Bodhisattva ofAkshobhya (Dhyani-Buddha)and(J.) KongOsatta (essenceofadiamond).chief(Tsovo)orpresidentof the fiveDhyfuii-Symbols:vajra (thunderbolt).Buddhas.yliania (bell).ThepositionofVajrasattvain theMahayanapantheonis difficult to determine.Heis lookeduponasthespiritualsonofAkshobhya,and is at the same timeTsovoor chief of the fiveDhyani-Buddhas.M. de la Valloe Poussin identifies him withVajradhara.Eitel calls himthesixthDhyani-BuddhaoftheYogficharyaschool.61Schlaginhveit,BuddhisminTibet, p.51.4Theyum (fakti)in the embrace of thegod2Prof. S. ChandraVidyabhushana,On certain(yab).Tibetan scrolls andimages ,Memoirsofthe Asiatic5Vajra(thunderboltordiamond),sattva(essence).Societyof Bengal,vol.i,No. 1."v. TheDhyani-Buddhas.3v. Glossarv.VAJRASATTVA 5The Svabhavika sect inNepalidentified Svabhfival(Adi-Buddha)withVajrasattva, who,accordingto tlieNepaleseBuddhistwritings,manifested himself onMountSumeruin thefollowingmanner. Alotus-flower ofprecious jewelsappearedonthesummitofthemountainwhich is thecentre of theuniverse,andabove it aroseamoon-crescentuponwhich,supremelyexalted,wasseatedVajrasattva.It is notprobablethattheimageof the Acli-BuddhaVajrasattvais heremeant,but rather thesymbolwhichdesignatestheAdi-Buddha,alinga-shapedflame. Ifthemoon-crescent,whicharoseabove thelotus-flower,isrepresentedwiththeflamesymbolin thecentre,instead of theimageofVajrasattva,it. AIZEN-MYO-CKONGOSATTA 7The ferocious formhassixarms,athirdeye,andaferociousexpression.Abovetheforehead is askull,andavajraissuesfromthe usJinlsJia. ThevajraandfjJiantaarecarried in thesamepositionas the aboveform,andheholdsthe bowandarrowandotherTantrasymbols.Hiscolour is red. Theauthorhas neverseenthe ferociousformsupportedbyanelephant.HeisworshippedbytheTendai andShino-onsects,and is calledAizen-myo-o (PLv, fig. I,and PI.xxxix,fio-.a).He is found in atriad withKwan-non and Fudoand,inspiteof his ferociousappearance,is lookedupon bythe commonpeopleasgodof Love. As both the mild and ferociousforms hold thesamesymbols,in thr. samemanner,maynotAizen-myo-obetermedtheferocious form ofKonarosattaTHE BUDDHASTABLE III.DipankaraBuddha.II.Kfisyapa.TheBuddhas III. GautamaBuddha.IV.Maitreya1(TheComingBuddha).V. Mania(BuddhaofMedicine).Iv. TheDhyani-Bodhisattva.PLATE VIa. GAUTAMA BUDDHAc. DIPANKAKA BUDDHA d. GAUTAMA BUDDHA SPEAKING ins FIRST WORDSTHE BUDDHAS(NIRMANA-KAYA)1THEBuddhaswho havebeen, are,and willbe,are more numerous than thegrainsofsandonthebanksoftheGanges (Aparimita-Dlwrani).TheearlyNorthern Buddhist school inNepal adoptedthesystemof1,000fictitiousBuddhas,which soclosely correspondto the1,000Zarathustras of theZoroastrians that thesystemis believed to haveoriginatedin Persia. In this listappearsfor thefirsttimethe nameof Amitabha, who becamethefourthDhyani-Buddha.Hodgsongivesalist offifty-sixBuddhastakenfromtheLalttaVistara,in whichthe last sevenTathagata,called theSaptamanushi-Buddhas (theseven humanBuddhas),are :Vipasyi,Sikhi,and Visvabhu of thepreceding kalpa,2and Kraku-cchanda, Kanakamuni,Kasyapa,andSakya-muniof thepresent cycle.SometimestheDipankaraBuddha andRatnagarbhawereadded,makingagroupof nineBuddhas.Lateron,thereappearedagroupoftwenty-four mythicalBuddhas,of whomtheDipankaraBuddha(thefirst ofthetwenty -four)is thebestknown,andGautamaBuddhais addedto thisgroup,makingtwenty-fivein all. Sometimesthe last sevenof thegroup (includingGautamaBuddha)are reckoned as the sevenPrincipalBuddhas,who,with thecomingBuddhaMaitreya,formagroupofeight,andeighthas remained apopularnumberamongBuddhists forgroupingthegods (the eightBodhisattva,theeightTerribleOnes,&c.).Thegroupof the fiveManushi-Buddhas,3correspondingwith the fiveDhyani-BuddhasandfiveDhyani-Bodhisattva,became, however,the mostpopularinNepal;andwasadoptednotonlyinTibet,but in ChinaandJapan,andhaslasteduptothepresentday.AManushi-Buddha,accordingto thesystemofAdi-Buddha,is one who hasacquiredsuchenlightenment (bodhi-jnana)byhispreviousincarnationsasBodhisattva,that he iscapableofreceivingBodhi,orSupremeWisdom,aparticleofthe essenceof Adi-Buddha. HehasbecomeaTathagata4andcanhave nomorerebirths,but athis death will attainNirvana-pada,orabsorptioninto theAdi-Buddha.Those of the Northern Buddhist sects that did notadoptthesystemofAdi-Buddha,lookedupontheManushi-Buddhaasamanifestationof,oranemanationfrom,theDhyani-Buddha; or,accordingtothesystemof theTri-kaya,asa distinctnatureorbody(kayo) representingtheembodimentofintellectual essence.Thesystemof theTri-kaya5supposedeach Buddha to have threeMyaor1BodyofTransformation.2v.Glossary.5v.Schmidt,Mi-moiresdeI AcademiedesSciences3Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, Kasyapa, Sakya-deSaint-Petersboury; Schlagintweit,Buddhism inmuni, Maitreya.For thetwenty-four mythicalTibet;anddela ValleePoussin,TheThree BodiesBuddhas,see R. S.Hardy,AManualof Buddhism,of aBuddha,JournaloftheRoyalAsiaticSocietyp.94.4v.Glossary. ofGreatBritainandIreland,Oct. 190G.l(> THE BUDDHASbodies that is tosay,three distinctnatures,whichmightbe said to belivinginthreespheresat thesametime.1. Onearth,as Manushi-Buddha mortal andascetic,having passed throughinnumerable transformations on earth and arrived at theNirmana-kayastate ofpracticalBodhi(knowledge).2. InNirvana,asDhyani-Buddhaabstractbodyof absolutepurity,in theDharma-kfiyastate ofessential Bodhi.3. Inreflex in theRupadhfituheavensasDhyani-Bodhisattva,bodyofsupremehappiness,intheSarnbhoga-kayastate ofreflectedBodhi.1TheMya, of a Maimshi-Buddha ismaterial, visible,andperishable. Beingofhumanform,the Manushi-Buddha is born into theworld and released from itbydeath. Hedidnot, however,entertheworldas aBuddhabutasaBodhisattva,nordidhereach thestageof Buddhahooduntil themomentwhen he attainedSupremeEnlightenment,such asSakya-muniunder the Bodhi-tree. After theEnlightenment,accordingto M.dela ValleePoussin,2nothingearthly,human,heavenly,ormundaneremainsofaTathagata.Thereforehisvisibleappearanceis butacontrivedormagicalbody. . . theunsubstantialbodywhich remains ofaBodhisattva after hehasreachedBuddhahood.It was believedbytheMahayaniststhatwhentheBodhisattva arrived at thestageofBodhi,hewould haveacquiredthethirty-two superiorandeightyinferioroutward marks" of a Buddha. In the Maliamstu it is written that the futureBuddhawouldhave all theoutwardsignsat his last rebirth;4but therepresentations ofSakya-muniasachild do notshowtheprotuberanceontheskull5(ushmsha)whichis themostimportantandprobablythelastacquiredofthethirty-twooutwardsigns.Nor asan ascetic is herepresentedwith the full-sized uskmsha.GIt isonlyafter his attainment ofSupremeWisdom that therepresentationsof the Buddhashowthefully-developed protuberanceon the skull thereceptacle, presumably,ofthe divine mind(manas),which wasthoughttoogreatto be held in a normal-sizedskull.Althoughthe differentMahayanasectsdisagreedas tothesource ofthe divineintelligence, theywere all ofaccord inbelievingthat afterthe attainment of Bodhithebodyof theTathagatawas animatedbya divine force. ThisbodyofTransformation(Nirmana-kaya)oftheManushi-Buddhahasbeenvariouslyexplained.M.de la ValleePoussin is oftheopinionthat it is amagical body,in otherwords,an illusion;while Mr. G. It. S. Mead calls it the outershell of the innerbodyof1Eitel,HandbookofChineseBuddhism. Some-3fab^ana;v.Glossary.times a fourthbodyisgiven,theSvabhdra-ka,/a.Accordingto M. de la ValleePoussin,theAccordingtoHodgson,TheLanguages, Literature, Bodhisattva wouldpossessthe marks in99-414)nor Hiuen-tsang(029-45)mentionshim,althoughboth refer to AvalokitesvaraandManjusrI.ThenameofAmitabha firstappearsin alist of onethousand fictitiousBuddhasintroducedbytheNepaleseMahayanaschool. Thelist socloselycoincides with thethousand Zarathustras of the Zoroastrians that Amitabha(in realityasun-god)and hisWesternParadisearethoughtto have been evolved inNepal,orKashmir,fromPersian sources. HisworshipreachedChinaat thesametimeas theMahayanadoctrine ofDhyani-Buddhasand Bodhisattva,bythe northernroute,and it istherefore believed that thebirthplaceof theworshipof Amitabha wasprobablynorth oftheHimalayas.Thedescriptionof Sukhavati,1theWesternParadiseofAmitabha,variesaccordingto theimaginationof the author. In the Saddharmapundanka(Lotusof theGoodLaw)it is writtenthatwomenare debarredfromAmitabhasparadise,butbyacts ofmeritmayattainmasculinityin thenextworld,and thus beeligibleto thejoysofSukhavati. Thethirty-fifthvowofAmitabha,accordingto theApurimitayus-sutra,isas follows : IfI becomeBuddha, all womenin innumerable otherBuddhistcountriesshallhearmynameandbe filled withjoy andgladnessanddislike theirwomanhood,desiring enlightenment.Ifthey againresume the feminine form after death and1v. Glossary.AMITABHA 37remain unsaved. I will not receive Buddhahood. Onefinds,however, in otherBuddhistwritings,reference to the inmatesoftheWestern Paradise as sexless.Amitabha isrepresentedseated with hislegs closelylocked. His hands lieon hisla]),inrthi/tiiui,(meditation)imidrd,and hold t\\vpalra (begging-howl).lie liasthe mlirusliaandfirnaandlong-lobedears(v.PLxviii,fig. a}.Heis sometimesrepresentedwith his sakti held in thei/iib-i/um attitude,hut hismanifestations in China andJapanare neverwith the femaleenergy.In this formhe wears a crown and is dressed like a Bodhisattva. His arms are crossed behindherbackandholdthe tajraandghauta,while the sakti holds theskull andeitherthe(jngutj (chopper)orwheel.AsmallimageofAmitabha is in the head-dressofAvalokitesvara,ormaybeheldabovethe tenheadsbytwoof his arms. Hemayalso be in the head-dress of thegoddessKurukulla.Besidesbehu*;Buddha of BoundlessLi^ht,Amitabha is Buddha of Boundlesso oLife,1in his formofAmituyus,andofBoundlessCompassionin his BodhisattvaformofAvalokitesvara.AMITAYUS(APARIMITAYUS)(Buddhaof EternalLife).(T.) tse-(1>