Chanting the Names of Manjushri:The Manjusri-Nama-Samgiti: Sanskrit and Tibetan Texts

129 Pages·1985·56.413 MB·English

by  Alex Wayman

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CHANTING THE NAMES OF MANJUSRI
CHANTING THE N A M E S
M a i i j u f r " i
o
F
THE MAN]USRI-NAMA-SAMGITI
Sanskrit and Tibetan Texts
Translated) with Annotation & Introduction by
ALEX WAYMAN
SHAMBHALA 1985
Boston & London
SHAMBHALA PUBLICATIONS, INC.
314DARTMOUTHSTREET
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS02116
SHAMBHALAPUBLICATIONS, INC.
ATROUTLEDGE & KEGAN PAUL
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© 1985BYALEXWAYMAN
ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
9 8 7 6 543 21
FIRSTEDITION
PRINTEDINTHE UNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA
DISTRIBUTED INTHEUNITEDSTATESBYRANDOM HOUSE
AND INCANADABYRANDOM HOUSEOFCANADALTD.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA
TRIPITAKA.SOTRAPITAKA. MANJUSRiNAMASANGITI.
POLYGLOT
CHANTINGTHENAMESOFMANJUSRL
INCLUDESINDEX.
I. WAYMAN,ALEX. II. TITLE.
BQ2240.M352 1983 294·3'85 83-23°9
ISBN 0-87773-316-3
0-394-5453'-1 (RANDOM HOUSE)
HOMAGE TO MANjUSRiKUMARABHUTA
Instead ofdirt and poison, we have ratherchosen to fill ourhives
with honey and wax, thus furnishing mankind with the two noblest
ofthings which are sweetness and light.
-Swift, The Battle ofthe Books
Devoted to Names are the Verses.
Namasannissitagatha
-Samyutta-nikiiya, i, 39
Namasannisrita gatha
-Abhidharmakofa-bhiiva, Chapter II
ManjusriTIot a production
'Jam dpal skye ba med
is a term ofthe Tathagatas.
-Jiiiiniilokiilamkiira-siitra
CONTENTS
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION 1
1. BACKGROUND OF THE MANjUSRi-NAMA-SAlyfCiTI 3
2. CITATIONS OF THE MANjUSRi-NAMA-SA/or1CiTI IN NARO-pA's COMMENTARY 10
3. THE SEVEN MA~PALASOF THE MANjUSRi-NAMA-SAlyfCiTI 23
4. REMARKS ON THE TIBETAN TEXT OF THE MANjUSRi-NAMA-SA/or1CiTI 36
5. THE Slx CYCLES OF PRAISE 42
TEXTS USED FOR THE SANSKRIT-TIBETAN EDITION AND ANNOTATIONS 47
CORRECTIONSTOMINAEFF'SSANSKRITTEXT
NOTES 48
PART TWO
TRANSLATION OF THE MANjUSRi-NAMA-SAlyfCiTI WITH SANSKRIT AND TIBETAN
TEXTS AND ANNOTATIONS
I. ASKING FOR INSTRUCTION 57
II. THE REPLY 63
III. SURVEYING THE SIX FAMILIES 65
IV. ABHISAMBODHI SEQUENCE OF THE NET OFILLUSION 66
V. THE GREAT MA~PALAOF VAJRADHATU 68
VI. PURE DHARMADHATU WISDOM 74
VII. PRAISING THE MIRRORLIKE WISDOM 83
VIII. DISCRIMINATIVE WISDOM 86
IX. SAMENESS WISDOM 99
X. PROCEDURE-OF DUTY WISDOM 107
XI. PRAISE OF THE FIVE TATHAGATAS 112
XII. EXHIBITION OF MANTRAS 114
XIII. THE SUMMING UP 116
INDEXOF SANSKRIT FIRST PADA-S 118
INDEX OF TIBETAN FIRST LINES 120
INDEX TO THE TRANSLATION AND ANNOTATIONS 122
PART ONE
Introduction
UPON PRESENTING this remarkable work, to be called "Chanting the the commentary by Narendrakirti in the Kalacakra section of the
Names ofManjusri," the present writer should explain the origin of Tanjur. It turned out that Narendrakirti wrote the most intellectual"
this project and what the final result amounts to. In Spring ofthe commentary, Smrti the most learned, and Candrabhadrakirti the
year 1970, at Dharamsal,a, H.P., India, I had the good fortune most intuitive and speculative. For reasons only partially clear to
to meet and consult with Geshe Rabten and his disciple Gonsar me, these commentaries proved individually superior· for certain
Rinpoche, who in recent years have been in Switzerland. The chapters of the text. While these commentaries sufficed, for a few
learned Geshe told me I should meditate on Manjusri. I was indeed places I consulted some other commentaries, both in the Yogatantra
impressed with this advice, but my nonritual devotion is in taking and the Kalacakra sections of the Tanjur. The commentaries fur
a
pains to solve problems, both in the language of text and in its nished extra meanings, sometimes fascinating, for this and that; and
associated ideas. also clarified the structure of the text, but did not reveal why this
During my tantric studies, resulting in several published works, I text was so popular, indeed, why their authors were moved to write
long ago learned about the importance of the Maiijufr1.-niima-saT(lg1.ti to commentaries. To explain this paramount role ofthe Maiijufrl.-niima
all Tibetan sects. My own library has the Peking Sanskrit-Tibetan sarrzg1.ti, I have prepared several introductory chapters.
blockprint ofthis text, originally procured in Peking by my teacher In Chapter I, on background, I attempt to trace Manjusrl's emer
F. D. Lessing, as well as a copy ofP. Minaeff's Sanskrit edition; St. gence from obscurity in early centuries A.D. to an identification
Petersburg, 1885. Some of my published articles utilize the Smni with Prajnaparamita (Perfection oflnsight or ofWisd-~m),eventual
commentary in its Tibetan version. Conceiving the plan ofa volume ly to become the Primordial Buddha (iidibuddha). Chapter 2, on the
of"minor" tantric texts, including the Maiijufrl.-niima-sarrzg1.ti, I made citations in Naro-pa's commentary on the Hevajratantra, has all fifty
draft translations ofthis and some other texts that had commentar three ofhis quotations ofthe Maiijufr1. in the order ofthe Hevajratan
ies to aid the project. This plan was interrupted by other projects in tra chapters. This shows the importance ofthe Maizjufr1. in the cult
recent years. In 1982 I decided that such important texts (whether that uses both the Kiilacakratantra and the Hevajratantra. Chapter 3on
or not called "minor" by length) should not remain in manuscript the seven maw/alas of the Maiijufr1.-niima-sarrzg1.ti, associates chapters
and set to work first on the Maizjufrl., but then found the supporting ofthis text with cults ofManjusri by way oficonographical forms, of
material so multiplying that a separate work was indicated. which a full list is furnished from Jaya PanQita. In Chapter 4, re
My library has long had duplicates of two Yogatantra commen marks on the Tibetan text, I set forth the makeupofthe Sanskrit text
taries on the Maiijufr1. from the Tibetan Tanjur-those by Can and its brilliant Tibetan translation by Rin-chen-bzan-po, consid
drabhadrakirti and by Smrti. In order to balance these, I obtained erations which bring out the meaning of Manjusri's "names" and
also affect the translation into English. Chapter 5 on "the six cycles Certain scholarly aids are appended: an index ofthe Sanskrit first
of praise" presents a translation of the prose insertion of some piidas (metrical feet), an index ofTibetan first lines (ofthe four-lined
Maiijufri-niima-saT(lgili editions. These six paragraphs extol the recita verses), along with an index to the translation and its notes by chap
tion ofthe Maiijufriand contemplation ofthe deity Manjusri, and so ter and verse. The not inconsiderable laborto present this text in the
help the reader into a frame of mind agreeable with the text and proper light is the way I have meditated on Manjusri.
translation ofthe Maiijufri-niima-saT(lgili that immediately follow.