THE VAJRABHAIRAVA

TANTRAS

Tibetan

& Mongolian Translation

Texts and

with

Introduction,

Notes

By Bulcsu

Sikl6s,

BA.

Presented

for

the

degree of

of London

PhD at

the

University

March

1990

iBIRL.' LOINC. N.

ABSTRACT the This translations of and editions contains study deity Indian Buddhist Tantric tantras the of Vajrabhairava, the pre-Buddhist god of who bound by oath Buddhist Yama to the the the underworld protection of doctrine. in have played These texts role a significant in particular the history tantric of Buddhist practice, for the Dge lugs whom amongst pa of Tibet and Mongolia is one of this the three anuttara-yogamost important tantra cycles. is into A) The first of the four parts which this study divided is The first three contains : I. a sections introduction to place the tantras general which attempts "mystical" into and other such phenomena a nonis It rationalist context. and non-phenomenological for that the way forward the study argued of "mystical" for lies texts and systems paths well-trodden along by the practitioners centuries and not of such systems, invented The along recently arbitrary rationalist paths. traditional section closes with a short of the account Buddhist II. The second of the tantric explanations path. deity Yams Indo-European the section ancient considers nature of the wild with and the sacred cattle associated him. involves The argument a reappraisal of the species Yama and Vajrabhairava, with cattle of associated and that the conclusion the most likely reaches was species Bos Aurochs finding This the extinct rims enius, also between the a reappraisal of relationship necessitates has hitherto been Indo-Iranians the and cattle which involving primarily a economic one considered domesticated than a religious rather cattle one involving III. The nature cattle. and myths of the wild ancestral deity Yama are then considered and an astrological his is Aurochs the association with of explanation himself is discussed Vajrabhairava then provided. basis. on a mythical primarily five B) The second contains a translation of part Vajrabhairava treatises concerning with canonical primary from Indian include the material which annotations in the Tanjur. preserved commentaries the Tibetan C) The third of editions contains part five the texts editions of those and of versions Mongolian translations of the three canonical available texts. primary bibliography, part D) The study a three with concludes English MongolianSanskritTibetana glossary, a index Mongolian-Tibetan and an appendix an glossary, detailing how the Tibetan text short a presenting Vajrabhairava-tantras are to be read.

z

ERRATA

p12 p31 p68

Illustration for regardless

reproduced read from reproduced from reproducedreproduced rtse mkhan po 1983).

from regardless

Tsultem of. rdo

1986.

Illustrations Images; Illustrations Images;Illustration mthar

Rol in Rol in

pa'i Olschak pa'i Olschakfrom

Three Hundred rje's 1973). Wangyal and Hundred Three rje's 1973). Wangyal andNgor Collection (Ngor

p73

rdo

p81

the

p83 p99 p152 p155 p160 p187

for for for for for

brgyad liberated great great great

read

brgya. read freed. human human human for flesh. flesh. flesh. controlling and summoning

flesh flesh flesh

read read read

in add e ore

red sandalwood (9v). in ochreto the

p190

for holding substances.

assembly

read

holding

to

the

ritual

p192 pl94nl p194n6

for for read

attainment saliva these read

of

yoga

read (despite are :

attainment TD). dha ya

of

union.

urine

syllables

ba bha na pa pha 6a $a la ra as va

ma ha

kqa.

p389/390 p407 for

pages how

reversed. to read read how to recite.

CONTENTS

Abstract ............................................... Contents ............................................... Acknowledgements ....................................... List of abbreviations .................................. Note on transcriptions and italicization List of illustrations ................................. PART ONE A. The study i. ii. iii. iv. B. of tantra and the rationalist

...............

2 3 7 8 9 11

quandary 14 17 27 31

Preliminary observations ................... The Science of mysticism ................... Phenomenology and mysticism ................ Buddhism theory ................ as mystical

[Notes]

....................................

39

The i. ii. iii. iv.

Sacred

Bull 43 45 49 56 58

General observtions ........................ background The cultic ...................... backgrounds Indian ......................... Ungulate cults worldwide ................... [Notes] ....................................

C. Yama and Vajrabhairavai. ii. iii. Yama ....................................... Dharmarja ................................. Vajrabhairava tantras and his 60 66 amongst

humans ..................................... [Notes] ....................................PART TWO

70 78

Introduction commentaries

to

the

translated

texts

and

the

83

[Notes]

....................................... Tantra

............................................

94

I.

The Vajramahabhairava i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. Section Section Section Section Section Section Section 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7:

[Notes]

The Mandala ..................... Deeds.. Accomplishing the Ritual Putting the Mantras together... Visualization .................. Drawing the Form ............... Offering Burnt ................. Meditation .....................

95 98 105 108 112 114 119

...................................3

124

II.

The i. ii. iii. iv.

Ritual Section Section Section Section

Procedure 1: 2: 3: 4:

Tantra

of

Vajrabhairava and

[Notes]III. IV. The Myth

The Meditation on Method Wisdom ......................... Yoga ........................... Drawing the Form ............... Offering Burnt .................

151 154 161 163

.................................................................

168177 179 182

Section

The Musk Shrew Section ........................ [Notes] ....................................... The i. ii. Three Section Section Section 1: 2: Tantra Drawing Turning of the the Vajrabhairava Wheel .............. Pledge-Substances

V.

183

iii.

Section [Notes]

3:

into Medicine .................. Subsidiary Factors.............

...................................

189 191 194

PART THREE 203 213

Remarks (Notes]

on the Editions and ............................................. texts 'jigs rdo rje Vajramahabhairava Rtog Rtog Rtog Rtog Rtog Rtog Rtog 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7:

Editorial

Procedure.....

a). I.

Tibetan Dpal [The i. ii.. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. II. Dpal [The

byed

chen Tantra]

po'i

rgyud 214 . 219 227 231 236 239 244

dkyil bstan 'khor pa ............. las thams cad grub pa ............. btu ba bstan pa ............. sngags sgom pa ............................ bris cho ga .................. sku'i cho ga....... gi las kyi sbyin sreg las bsgrub bsam gtan pa........ gyi 'jigs byed kyi Tantra Procedure rtog of rgyud pa'i Vajrabhairava]

rdo rje Ritual

i. ii. iii. iv.

Rtog Rtog Rtog Rtog

1: 2: 3: 4:

thabs dang shes rab kyi bsam gtan.. sbyor ba ........................... bris sku ........................... sbyin sreg gi rim par phye ba......Lt

251 255 265 268

III.

Gtam

[The MythIV. Chu cchu

rgyud

kyi

rtog

pa

Section]nda ra'i

.............................rtog pa

275 277rgyal po rtog

[The Musk Shrew

Section]byed

.......................kyi rgyud of kyi

V.

Dpal-rdo rje pa gsum pa [The Three i. ii. iii. Rtog Rtog Rtog 1: 2: 3:

'jigs Section

Tantra

Vajrabhairava] 280 289 291

'khor lo bri ba .................... dam tshig rdzas sman bsgyur........ dang grogs............ las kyi rgyu

b). I.

Mongolian

texts tantr-a-yin gaYan 294 299 307 311 316 319 324 ga\an 331 335 345 348

Coytu ayuYului-yin yeke vcir [The Vajramahabhairava antra] i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Onul Onul Onul Onul Onul Onul Onul

: mandal-i ugaYuluYsan ............... btgeki............ : gamX iles-i tegki : tarni-yi ugaYuluYsan....... : bisil, a1 ........................... bey-e-yin iles : jiruy .............. jang ile.. Aal mandal-un aui yeke diyan-i btgek-yi : onu\san........ tantr-a-yin ayu\