Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T10:32:12.478Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Goddess Mahā;cīnakrama-Tārā (Ugra-Tārā) In Buddhist And Hindu Tantrism1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2009

Gudrun Bühnemann
Gudrun Bühnemann
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

It is well known that some goddesses are worshipped in both the Buddhist and Hindu Tantric traditions. A form of the Buddhist Vajrayoginī, accompanied by Vajravarṇanī and Vajravairocanī, is the prototype of the Hindu Chinnamastā accompanied by Ḍākinī and Varṅinī. Forms of Ekajaṭā and Mañjughoṣa were adopted from the Buddhist pantheon into the Hindu and worshipped by the same name. Usually it is not easy to trace how and when these adaptations took place. In the case of Mahācīnakrama-Tārā, a special form of Tārā, it has long been suspected that the goddess was imported from the Buddhist Tantric pantheon into the Hindu pantheon. In this paper I demonstrate, on the basis of clear textual evidence, how the goddess's description in a Buddhist sādhana was incorporated into the Hindu Phetkāriṅītantra, which was then quoted as an authoritative source regarding the goddess by later Hindu Tantras. I further examine representations of the goddess in art, and provide a new edition and translation of two sādhanas of Mahācīnakrama-Tārā.

Type
Articles
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 59 , Issue 3 , October 1996 , pp. 472 - 493
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bibliography and Abbreviations

Archer, W. G. 1973. Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills: a survey and history of Pahari miniature painting. 2 vols. London: Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1973.Google Scholar
Bagchi, P. 1939. Studies in the Tantras. Part I. Calcutta: Calcutta University Press, 1939.Google Scholar
Bharati, A. 1965. The tantric tradition. London: Rider and Company, 1965.Google Scholar
Bhattacharyya, B. 1930. ‘Buddhist Deities in Hindu Garb’, Proceedings and Transactions of the Fifth Indian Oriental Conference. 2vols. Lahore: University of the Panjab, 1930: 1277–1298.Google Scholar
Bhattacharyya, B. 1932. An introduction to Buddhist esoterism. London: Oxford University Press, 1932.Google Scholar
Bhattacharyya, B. 1958. The Indian Buddhist iconography based on the Sādhanamālā and other cognate tantric texts of rituals. 2nd ed.Calcutta: Firma K. L. Mukhopdhyay, 1958.Google Scholar
Bhattasali, N. K. 1929. Iconography of Buddhist and Brahmanical sculptures in the Dacca Museum. Dacca: Rai S. N. Bhadra Bahadur, 1929.Google Scholar
Bṛhannīlatantra, ed. Kaul, M.. Delhi: Butala & Company, 1984.Google Scholar
Bühnemann, G. 1994. *Sāananaśataka and *Sādhanaśatapañcāśikā: two Buddhist Sādhana collections in Sanskrit manuscript. Vienna: Arbeitskreis für tibetische und buddhistische Studien, Universitāt Wien, 1994.Google Scholar
Chandra, L. 1984. Buddhist iconography in Nepalese sketch-books. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1984.Google Scholar
Clark, W. E. 1937. Two Lamaistic pantheons. Edited … from materials collected by the late Baron A. Von Staël-Holstein. 2 vols. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1937.Google Scholar
Dey, N. L. 1927. The geographical dictionary of ancient and medieval India. 2nd ed.London: Luzac & Co., 1927.Google Scholar
Foucher, A. 1905. Étude sur l'iconographie bouddhique de l'inde d'après des textes inédits. Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1905.Google Scholar
Goshima, K. and Noguchi, K.. 1983. A succinct catalogue of the Sanskrit manuscripts in the possession of the Faculty of Letters, Kyoto University. Kyoto: Rinsen Book Co., 1983.Google Scholar
Goudriaan, T. and Gupta, S.. 1981. Hindu tantric and śākta literature. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1981.Google Scholar
Guhyasamājatantra, [ed.] Matsunaga, Y.. Osaka: Toho Shuppan, 1978.Google Scholar
Guhyasamājatantrapradīpodyotanaṭīkāṣaṭkoṭivyākhyā, ed. Chakravarti, C.. Patna: Government of Bihar, 1984.Google Scholar
Hevajratantra, [ed. and tr.] Snellgrove, D. L.. 2 vols. London: Oxford University Press, 1959.Google Scholar
Kakati, B. K. 1948. The Mother Goddess Kāmākhyā or studies in the fusion of Aryan and primitive beliefs of Assam. Gauhati: Lawyer's Book Stall, 1948.Google Scholar
Kane, P. V. 1968–1977. History of Dharmaśāstra. 2nd ed. 5 vols. Poona: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.Google Scholar
Kooij, R. K. van. 1972. Worship of the Goddess according to the Kālikāpurāna. Part I: A translation with an introduction and notes of chapters 54–59. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1972.Google Scholar
Kooij, R. K. van. 1974. ‘Some iconographical data from the Kālikāpurāna with special reference to Heruka and Ekajatā’, in van Lohuizen-de Leeuw, J. E. and Ubaghs, J. M. M. (ed.), South Asian archaeology, 1973. Papers from the second international conference of South Asian archaeologists held in the University of Amsterdam. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1974: 161–170.Google Scholar
Lentz, T. W. Jr., 1986. ‘Edwin Binney, 3rd (1925–1986)’, In Pal, P. (ed.), American collectors of Asian art. Bombay: Marg Publications, 1986: 93–116.Google Scholar
Lévi, S. 1905–1908. Le Nepal: étude historique d'un royaume hindou. 3 vols. Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1905–1908.Google Scholar
Mantramahodadhi. Bombay: Venkateshwar Steam Press, 1962.Google Scholar
Matsunami, S. 1965. A catalogue of the Sanskrit manuscripts in the Tokyo University Library. Tokyo: Suzuki Research Foundation, 1965.Google Scholar
Meisig, M. 1988. Die ‘China-Lehre’ des Śaktismus. Mahācīnācāra-Tantra kritisch ediert nebst Übersetzung und Glossar. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1988.Google Scholar
MM = Mantramahodadhi, ed. Prasāda, R.. Lahore: Smarahimsakadatta Press, 1872.Google Scholar
Mookerjee, A. 1988. Kali: the feminine force. London: Thames and Hudson, 1988.Google Scholar
Morinis, A. 1984. Pilgrimage in the Hindu tradition: a case study of West Bengal. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984.Google Scholar
MT = Merutantra, ed. Ojha, R.. Bombay: Venkateshwar Steam Press, 1908.Google Scholar
Muṇḍamālātantra, in Tripāthī, R. (ed.), Tantrasaṃgraha. Vol. 3. Varanasi: Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, 1979: 341–455.Google Scholar
Murthy, K. K. 1989. Sculptures of Vajrayāna Buddhism. Delhi: Classics India Publications, 1989.Google Scholar
Nīlatantra, ed. Śārmā, B.. Prayāg: Kalyān Mandir, 1965.Google Scholar
Niṣpannayogāvatlī, ed. Bhattacharyya, B.. Baroda: Oriental Institute, 1949.Google Scholar
Pal, P. 1985. Art of Nepal: a catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection. Berkeley: Los Angeles County Museum of Art in association with University of California Press, 1985.Google Scholar
Pal, P. 1991. Art of the Himalayas: treasures from Nepal and Tibet. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1991.Google Scholar
PhT = Phetkāriṇītantra, in Kaviraj, G. (ed.), Tantrasaṃgraha, vol.2. Varanasi: Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, 1970: 161–306.Google Scholar
PTT = Tibetan Tripitaka: Peking edition. Reprinted under the supervision of the Otani University, Kyoto. Ed. Śuzuki, D. T.. 168 vols. Tokyo/Kyoto: Tibetan Tripitaka Research Institute, 1955–1961.Google Scholar
Puraścaryārṇava, ed. Jha, M.. Delhi: Chaukhamba Sanskrit Pratishthan, 1985 (repr.).Google Scholar
Rudrayāmala, ed. Yogatantra Department. Varanasi: Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishivavidyalaya, 1980.Google Scholar
*Sādhanaśataka: see Būhnemann, (1994).Google Scholar
*Sādhanaśatapañcāśikā: see Bühnemann, (1994).Google Scholar
Śaktisaṃgamatantra. 4 vols. Vols. 1–3, ed. Bhattacharyya, B.. Baroda: Oriental Institute 1932–1947. Vol. 4, ed. V. V. Dvivedi. 1978.Google Scholar
Schroeder, U. von. 1981. Indo-Tibetan bronzes. Hong Kong: Visual Dharma Publications, 1981.Google Scholar
Shastri, H. 1922. Some recently added sculptures in the Provincial Museum, Lucknow. (Memoirs of the Archaeological Survey of India, 11.) Calcutta: Government Printing, 1922.Google Scholar
Sircar, D. C. 1971. Studies in the geography of ancient and medieval India. Revised and enlarged ed. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1971.Google Scholar
Sircar, D. C. 1972/1973. ‘Tantrasāradhṛtā Dhyānamālā’, Journal of Ancient Indian History, 6: 186–278.Google Scholar
Slusser, M. S. 1982. Nepal Mandala: a cultural study of the Kathmandu Valley. 2 vols. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1982.Google Scholar
SM = Sādhanamālā, ed. Bhattacharyya, B.. 2 vols. Baroda: Oriental Institute, 1925–1928.Google Scholar
Śrītattvanidhi. Bombay: Venkateshwar Steam Press, 1901.Google Scholar
Śrīvidyārṇavatantra, ed. Kak, R. C. and Shastri, H.. 2 vols. Srinagar: Kashmir Mercantile Electric Press, 1932–1937.Google Scholar
Takaoka, H. 1981. A microfilm catalogue of the Buddhist manuscripts in Nepal. Vol. I. Nagoya: Buddhist Library, 1981.Google Scholar
Tārābhaktisudhārṇava, ed. Bhaṭṭāchārya, P.. Calcutta/London 1940. Repr. Delhi 1983: Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan, 1940.Google Scholar
Tārārahasya of Brahmānanda Giri, ed. Shastri, S.. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 1970.Google Scholar
Toḍalatantra, in Kaviraj, G. (ed.), Tantrasaṃgraha, vol. 2. Varanasi: Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, 1970: 53–94.Google Scholar
TS= (Tantrasāra) Bṛhattantrasāra, ed. Ray, R. K.. Varanasi: Prachya Prakashan, 1985.Google Scholar
Tucci, G. 1956. Preliminary report on two scientific expeditions in Nepal. Roma: Istituto italiano per il medio ed estreme oriente, 1956.Google Scholar
Tucci, G. 1971. ‘Himalayan Cīna’, in Études Tibétaines dédiées à la mémoire de Marcelle Lalou. Paris: Adrien Maisonneuve, 1971: 548–552.Google Scholar
Vīrapustakālaya, . 1966. Nepālarājakīyavīrapustakālayasthapustakānāṃ bṛhatsūcīpatram, vol. 7/3, ed. Vajrācārya, Pūrṇaratna. Kathmandu: Vīrapustakālaya, 1966.Google Scholar
Weller, F. 1927. ‘Mahācīna—Arabia Felix’, Asia Major, 4: 466.Google Scholar
Woodroffe, J. 1975. Śakti and Sākta. 8th ed.Madras: Ganesh & Company.Google Scholar