Uṣṇīṣacakravartitantra

A forum for those wishing to discuss Buddhist history and teachings in the Western academic manner, referencing appropriate sources.
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kausalya
Posts: 269
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2018 4:52 pm

Uṣṇīṣacakravartitantra

Post by kausalya »

I learned of the existence of this text only recently; it's given in Chinese by Amoghavajra, below. I would really like to see it in English, because I consider myself indebted to Amoghavajra, but I don't know where to go from here.

For example, is it feasible for me, a 31-year-old man in reasonable health, to approach learning Classical Chinese just for the (initial) purpose of translating this obscure text, when I have no knowledge of Chinese to begin with, or would my best chance be to pay someone to do the work?

Silly question, I know, but I'd appreciate advice from someone with a realistic perspective on my options! I've been strongly considering going back to school in general, and have been reluctant, so far, because I couldn't find anything that mattered enough to me vs. what people in my life have imagined for me.

As for the text, here is the source:

NTI Reader
"For as long as space remains,
For as long as sentient beings remain,
Until then may I too remain
To dispel the miseries of the world."
(Shantideva)
crazy-man
Posts: 506
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 2:22 pm

Re: Uṣṇīṣacakravartitantra

Post by crazy-man »

The Uṣṇīṣacakravarti tantra一字奇特佛頂經 translated by Amoghavajra contains many methods for invoking the assistance of female demons as Esoteric Buddhist partners. One method describes how the practitioner invokes a yakṣī through a homa ritual and makes her do a variety of tasks according to his wishes (see T. 953.19:296c). Spells are a stable ingredient in the rites with which the adept makes the non-human
assistant perform the task at hand, but in some cases, especially those from the later tantric phase, more arcane requirements are needed in order to achieve success. In extreme cases these may involve necromancy, sex, and even cannibalism on the part of the practitioner.
James Sanford has eloquently discussed some of these strange practices in his stimulating research on the Tachikawa cult in late medieval Japan. Much of the textual material on which the Tachikawa cult developed its practices can be traced back to esoteric Buddhism in China (cf. Sanford 1991a, 1–20). See also Goepper 1993 and Iyanaga, “Tachikawa-ryū,” in this volume
Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia -
humble.student
Posts: 359
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:35 pm

Re: Uṣṇīṣacakravartitantra

Post by humble.student »

As mentioned above, this is a tantra, with all that that involves.

Religious questions aside, if you want to consider learning Classical Chinese, then why not? If you devote an hour or two a day to study, you will make progress. There are now a bunch of very good grammars, readers and resources for this, see this thread: viewtopic.php?f=81&t=27698

Take a look at the Kieschnick materials especially, the are freely available online, and start from scratch, so you will get a very good idea of whether it is something you wish to pursue in the mid to long term. If yes, then you will want to get the Pulleyblank grammar, the Kroll dictionary, and Rouzer or Fuller as a textbook. The Lock reader would probably also be very useful too.
amanitamusc
Posts: 2124
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 3:32 am

Re: Uṣṇīṣacakravartitantra

Post by amanitamusc »

humble.student wrote: Tue Jan 01, 2019 3:25 am As mentioned above, this is a tantra, with all that that involves.

Religious questions aside, if you want to consider learning Classical Chinese, then why not? If you devote an hour or two a day to study, you will make progress. There are now a bunch of very good grammars, readers and resources for this, see this thread: viewtopic.php?f=81&t=27698

Take a look at the Kieschnick materials especially, the are freely available online, and start from scratch, so you will get a very good idea of whether it is something you wish to pursue in the mid to long term. If yes, then you will want to get the Pulleyblank grammar, the Kroll dictionary, and Rouzer or Fuller as a textbook. The Lock reader would probably also be very useful too.
This would be the icing on the cake!"In extreme cases these may involve necromancy, sex, and even cannibalism on the part of the practitioner". :tongue:
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