Abhisheka
Encyclopedia
Abhisheka is a Sanskrit term comparable to puja, yagya
and arati
that denotes: a devotional
activity; an enacted prayer
, rite of passage
and/or religious rite
or ritual
. Within this range of senses, abhiṣeka is common to all Dharmic faiths such as Hinduism
, Buddhism
and Jainism
.
s. Usually, offerings such as milk, yogurt
, ghee
, honey, Panchaamrutam
, Sesame
oil, rosewater, sandalwood paste may be poured among other offerings depending on the type of abhishekam being performed. This ritual is routinely performed in most Hindu and Jain temples. "Rudraabhisheka" (रुद्राभिषेक) (Abhisheka of Rudra
) is performed on Shiva
linga
ms.
to begin a particular meditation practice.
is the initiation ritual used to confirm that a student of esoteric Buddhism has now graduated to a higher level of practice. The kanji
used literally mean "pouring from the peak", which poetically describes the process of passing on the master's teachings to the student. The ritual was popular in China during the Tang Dynasty
, and Kukai
, founder of Shingon, studied there extensively before introducing this ritual to the Japanese Buddhist establishment of the time. A separate initiation ritual exists for the general public called the , and symbolizes their initiation into esoteric Buddhism. This ritual is generally only offered at Mt. Koya
in Wakayama Prefecture
in Japan, but it can be offered under qualified masters and under proper auspices outside Japan, albeit very rarely.
The Shingon ritual utilizes one of the two Mandala of the Two Realms
, depending on the occasion. In esoteric ritual, after the student receives the Samaya
precepts, the teacher of the esoteric Buddhism assumes the role of the teacher, usually Mahavairocana
Buddha, while the master and student repeat specific mantras in a form of dialogue taken from esoteric Buddhist sutras. The student, who is blindfolded, then throws a flower upon the Mandala that is constructed, and where it lands (i.e. which deity) helps dictate where the student should focus his devotion on the esoteric path. From there, the student's blindfold is removed and a vajra
is placed in hand.
Yajna
In Hinduism, yajna is a ritual of sacrifice derived from the practice of Vedic times. It is performed to please the gods or to attain certain wishes...
and arati
Aarti
Aarti , also spelled arathi, aarthi is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a form of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee or camphor is offered to one or more deities...
that denotes: a devotional
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
activity; an enacted prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
, rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
and/or religious rite
Rite
A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually religious act. Rites in this sense fall into three major categories:* rites of passage, generally changing an individual's social status, such as marriage, baptism, or graduation....
or ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
. Within this range of senses, abhiṣeka is common to all Dharmic faiths such as Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
.
Abhisheka as a ritual
Abhisheka, also called Abhishekam, is conducted by priests, by pouring libations on the image of the deity being worshipped, amidst the chanting of mantraMantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
s. Usually, offerings such as milk, yogurt
Yoghurt
Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...
, ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
, honey, Panchaamrutam
Panchamrita
Panchamrita is a mixture of five foods used in Hindu worship and puja, usually honey, sugar, milk, yoghurt, and ghee.-Etymology:Pañcāmṛta is a Sanskrit compound of two words:, 'five'....
, Sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
oil, rosewater, sandalwood paste may be poured among other offerings depending on the type of abhishekam being performed. This ritual is routinely performed in most Hindu and Jain temples. "Rudraabhisheka" (रुद्राभिषेक) (Abhisheka of Rudra
Rudra
' is a Rigvedic God, associated with wind or storm, and the hunt. The name has been translated as "The Roarer", or "The Howler"....
) is performed on Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
linga
Lingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
ms.
Hinduism
Abhisheka is the name given to a late Vedic rite of anointing government officials, particularly heads of state, at the time of their taking power or to mark a signal achievement. It is also the bathing ceremony and anointing performed on certain festival days for the temple deities.Indo-Tibetan Buddhism
In the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition, an abhisheka can be a method for performing esoteric transmission, a way to offer blessings of a lineage to participants, or it can be an empowermentEmpowerment (Tibetan Buddhism)
An empowerment is a ritual in Tibetan Buddhism which initiates a student into a particular tantric deity practice. The Tibetan word for this is wang , which literally translates to power. The Sanskrit term for this is abhiseka which literally translates to sprinkling or bathing or anointing...
to begin a particular meditation practice.
Shingon Buddhism
The in Shingon BuddhismShingon Buddhism
is one of the mainstream major schools of Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving Esoteric Buddhist lineages that started in the 3rd to 4th century CE that originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra...
is the initiation ritual used to confirm that a student of esoteric Buddhism has now graduated to a higher level of practice. The kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
used literally mean "pouring from the peak", which poetically describes the process of passing on the master's teachings to the student. The ritual was popular in China during the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, and Kukai
Kukai
Kūkai , also known posthumously as , 774–835, was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific titles of and ....
, founder of Shingon, studied there extensively before introducing this ritual to the Japanese Buddhist establishment of the time. A separate initiation ritual exists for the general public called the , and symbolizes their initiation into esoteric Buddhism. This ritual is generally only offered at Mt. Koya
Mount Koya
is the name of mountains in Wakayama Prefecture to the south of Osaka. Also, Kōya-san is a modifying word for Kongōbuji . There is no one mountain officially called Kōya-san in Japan....
in Wakayama Prefecture
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...
in Japan, but it can be offered under qualified masters and under proper auspices outside Japan, albeit very rarely.
The Shingon ritual utilizes one of the two Mandala of the Two Realms
Mandala of the Two Realms
The Mandala of the Two Realms , also known as the Mandala of the Two Divisions , is a set of two mandalas depicting both the Five Wisdom Buddhas of the Diamond Realm as well as the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm...
, depending on the occasion. In esoteric ritual, after the student receives the Samaya
Samaya
The samaya , is a set of vows or precepts given to initiates of an esoteric Vajrayana Buddhist order as part of the abhiṣeka ceremony that creates a bond between the guru and disciple.According Keown, et al., Samaya may be defined as:*A particular system of teaching or...
precepts, the teacher of the esoteric Buddhism assumes the role of the teacher, usually Mahavairocana
Vairocana
Vairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...
Buddha, while the master and student repeat specific mantras in a form of dialogue taken from esoteric Buddhist sutras. The student, who is blindfolded, then throws a flower upon the Mandala that is constructed, and where it lands (i.e. which deity) helps dictate where the student should focus his devotion on the esoteric path. From there, the student's blindfold is removed and a vajra
Vajra
Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond...
is placed in hand.
Famous Abhishekas
- Mahaabhishekam conducted at the Mahakaleshwar temple in UjjainUjjainUjjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
. - MahamastakabhishekaMahamastakabhishekaThe Mahamasthakabhisheka is an important Jain festival held once every twelve years in the town of Shravanabelagola in Karnataka, India. The festival is held in veneration of an immense 18 meter high statue of the siddha Bahubali...
at ShravanabelagolaShravanabelagolaShravana Belgola is a city located in the Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is 158 km from Bangalore. The statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali at Śravaṇa Beḷgoḷa is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Jainism, one that reached a peak in architectural and sculptural...
in KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
.
Cultural examples
- In the Mahavairocana SutraMahavairocana TantraThe Mahāvairocana Tantra is an important Vajrayana Buddhist text. It is also known as the , or more fully as the . In Tibet it is considered to be a member of the Carya class of tantras...
MahavairocanaVairocanaVairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...
Buddha reveals the Mandala of the Womb RealmWomb RealmIn Vajrayana Buddhism, the Womb Realm is the metaphysical space inhabited by the Five Wisdom Kings. The Womb Realm is based on the Mahāvairocana Sutra...
to VajrasattvaVajrasattvaVajrasattva is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana, Mantrayana and Vajrayana buddhist traditions...
and teaches the rituals that relate to the Womb Mandala which are known as, and an example of, abhisheka. - Lord RamaRamaRama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
was asked to go for 14 Years of living in Jungles, just before his Abhisheka. - Lord Rama performed Abhisheka after installing a JyotirlingaJyotirlingaA Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India....
in Rameswaram with presiding deity Ramalingeshwar.
Further reading
- Abe, Ryuichi (1999). "The Weaving of Mantra: Kukai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse". Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11286-6
- Ferm, Virgilius (1945). An Encyclopedia of Religion. New York: Philosophical Library, 1945.
- Hakeda, Yoshito S. (1972). Kūkai and His Major Works. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-05933-7
- Hayward, Jeremy (2008) Warrior-King of Shambhala: Remembering Chögyam Trungpa. Boston: Wisdom. ISBN 978-0-86171-546-6