Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra
Encyclopedia
The Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra is a Mahayana
sūtra which extols the virtues and powers of the great Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, and which is particularly notable for introducing the mantra
Om mani padme hum
into the sūtra tradition.
as 'the supreme Buddhist isvara (divine lord) or 'great cosmic purusa
' (cosmic person/ being) , whose effulgence is even greater than that of any other bodhisattva
or Buddha. A striking feature of Avalokitesvara in this sutra is his creative power, as he is said to be the progenitor of various heavenly bodies and major divinities. Alexander Studholme, in his monograph on the sutra, writes:
'The sun and moon are said to be born from the bodhisattva's eyes, Mahesvara [Siva] from his brow, Brahma from his shoulders, Narayana [Vishnu] from his heart, Sarasvati from his teeth, the winds from his mouth, the earth from his feet and the sky from his stomach.'.
The sutra introduces the Buddhist mantra
, Om Manipadme Hum, which it states can lead to liberation (moksha) and eventual Buddhahood
. A. Studholme sees this famous mantra as being a declarative aspiration, possibly meaning 'I in the jewel-lotus', with the jewel-lotus being a reference to birth in the lotus made of jewels in the Buddhist Paradise, Sukhavati
, of Buddha Amitabha
. The mantra is the very heart of Avalokitesvara (the supreme Buddha
of Compassion) and can usher in Awakening. A. Studholme writes:
'Om Manipadme Hum, then, is both the paramahrdaya, or 'innermost heart', of Avalokitesvara ... It is also ... a mahavidya, a mantra capable of bringing about the 'great knowledge' of enlightenment itself ...'
Avalokitesvara himself is linked in the versified version of the sutra to the first Buddha, the Adi-Buddha
, who is 'svayambhu' (self-existent, not born from anything or anyone). Studholme comments:
'Avalokitesvara himself, the verse sutra adds, is an emanation of the Adibuddha, or 'primordial Buddha', a term that is explicitly said to be synoymous with Svayambhu and Adinatha, 'primordial lord'.'
According to a Tibetan legendary tradition, the text of Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra arrived in a casket from the sky unto the roof of the palace of the 28th king of Tibet, Lha Thothori Nyantsen
who died in 650 C.E., in southern Tibet. This coincides with one version of dating of the Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra, somewhere in the 4th or perhaps early 5th century, however it seems more likely that the sutra has originated in Kashmir
, due to closeness to characteristics to Kasmiri tantric
traditions of the time and to Avataṁsakasūtra earlier associated with the Central Asian regions.
, Ye shes sdes and others. Later, the text was translated by T'ien-hsi-tsai into Chinese from a Tibetan version around CE 1000.
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
sūtra which extols the virtues and powers of the great Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, and which is particularly notable for introducing the mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
Om mani padme hum
Om mani padme hum
is the six syllabled mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara , the bodhisattva of compassion...
into the sūtra tradition.
General Features
The Karandavyuha Sutra is a Mahayana sutra that was compiled at the end of the 4th century or beginning of the 5th century C.E.. It is notable for its presentation of the bodhisattva AvalokitesvaraAvalokitesvara
Avalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....
as 'the supreme Buddhist isvara (divine lord) or 'great cosmic purusa
Purusha
In some lineages of Hinduism, Purusha is the "Self" which pervades the universe. The Vedic divinities are interpretations of the many facets of Purusha...
' (cosmic person/ being) , whose effulgence is even greater than that of any other bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
or Buddha. A striking feature of Avalokitesvara in this sutra is his creative power, as he is said to be the progenitor of various heavenly bodies and major divinities. Alexander Studholme, in his monograph on the sutra, writes:
'The sun and moon are said to be born from the bodhisattva's eyes, Mahesvara [Siva] from his brow, Brahma from his shoulders, Narayana [Vishnu] from his heart, Sarasvati from his teeth, the winds from his mouth, the earth from his feet and the sky from his stomach.'.
The sutra introduces the Buddhist mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
, Om Manipadme Hum, which it states can lead to liberation (moksha) and eventual Buddhahood
Buddhahood
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
. A. Studholme sees this famous mantra as being a declarative aspiration, possibly meaning 'I in the jewel-lotus', with the jewel-lotus being a reference to birth in the lotus made of jewels in the Buddhist Paradise, Sukhavati
Sukhavati
Sukhāvatī refers to the western Pure Land of the Buddha Amitābha in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Sukhāvatī translates to "Land of Bliss."-In other languages:In traditional Mahayana Buddhist countries, there are a number of translations for Sukhāvatī....
, of Buddha Amitabha
Amitabha
Amitābha is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism...
. The mantra is the very heart of Avalokitesvara (the supreme Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
of Compassion) and can usher in Awakening. A. Studholme writes:
'Om Manipadme Hum, then, is both the paramahrdaya, or 'innermost heart', of Avalokitesvara ... It is also ... a mahavidya, a mantra capable of bringing about the 'great knowledge' of enlightenment itself ...'
Avalokitesvara himself is linked in the versified version of the sutra to the first Buddha, the Adi-Buddha
Adi-Buddha
In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Adi-Buddha, or Adibuddha , is the "Primordial Buddha." The term refers to a self-emanating, self-originating Buddha, present before anything else existed. Samantabhadra, Samantabhadri and Vajradhara are the best known names for Adi-Buddha, though there are others...
, who is 'svayambhu' (self-existent, not born from anything or anyone). Studholme comments:
'Avalokitesvara himself, the verse sutra adds, is an emanation of the Adibuddha, or 'primordial Buddha', a term that is explicitly said to be synoymous with Svayambhu and Adinatha, 'primordial lord'.'
According to a Tibetan legendary tradition, the text of Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra arrived in a casket from the sky unto the roof of the palace of the 28th king of Tibet, Lha Thothori Nyantsen
Thothori Nyantsen
Lha Thothori Nyantsen was the 28th King of Tibet according to the Tibetan legendary tradition...
who died in 650 C.E., in southern Tibet. This coincides with one version of dating of the Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra, somewhere in the 4th or perhaps early 5th century, however it seems more likely that the sutra has originated in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, due to closeness to characteristics to Kasmiri tantric
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
traditions of the time and to Avataṁsakasūtra earlier associated with the Central Asian regions.
Translations
The Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra was first translated into Tibetan as the Za ma tog bkod bkod pa in the eighth century by JinamitraJinamitra
Jinamitra was an Indian pandit who travelled to Samye Monastery in Tibet at the time of Trisong Deutsen to engage in translation. Jinamitra worked with Jnanagarbha and Devacandra along with other 'translators' , upon the Nirvana Sutra ....
, Ye shes sdes and others. Later, the text was translated by T'ien-hsi-tsai into Chinese from a Tibetan version around CE 1000.
See also
- AvalokitesvaraAvalokitesvaraAvalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....
- God in BuddhismGod in BuddhismThe refutation of the notion of a supreme God or a prime mover is seen by many as a key distinction between Buddhism and other religions. In Buddhism the sole aim of spiritual practice is the complete alleviation of stress in samsara, called nirvana...
- Om mani padme humOm mani padme humis the six syllabled mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara , the bodhisattva of compassion...