New History Of Tantric Lieterature In India

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

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A NEW HISTORY OF TANTRIC LITERATURE IN INDIA
109 yatharuta, naruta) ; 4. caturvidhākhyāyika (akşarārtha, samastanga, garbhin, kolika); 5. dvividhabheda (satravyākhyāna, śişyavyakhyāna); 6. pañcapudgala (ut pala, pundarika, padma, candana, ratna); 7. satyadva yavinirnaya. Of special importance are the third and the fourth principles, which have recently been studied by Ernst Steinkellner. M. briefly explains the seven alamkāra-s and then attempts to explain why this system was developed and why it was considered so important in the 'Phags lugs. The 'Phags-lugs school was created some time after the formation of the Malatantra and taught many doctrines and practices which are not found in the Guh yasamājatantra. The system of the seven alamkāra-s was created in order to legitimise the interpretation of the Guhyasamājatantra in the 'Phags-lugs. Moreover, in the later Tantric period many Hindu elements and especially śākta doctrines were incorporated into Buddhist Tantrism. The system of the seven alamkara-s served not only to proclaim the superiority of the exegesis of the 'Phags-lugs but also to demonstrate the orthodox Buddhist character of the teachings of the tantras. M. mentions that in recent years Tantrism has more and more come to be considered as the necessary consequence of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It is in this connection important to see how in Buddhist Tantrism, Buddhism and Tantrism were joined together, and in order to understand this it is necessary to give some attention to the system of the seven alamkara-s.
One of the Ākhyānatantras of the Guhyasamāja, the Vajramalatantra, contains 68 chapters. Of special interest is the relation between the Vajramalatantra and the Pañcakrama. A comparison of chapters 1-67 of the Vajramalatantra with the Pañca. krama shows that there is no relation between the two and that the Vajramalatantra is therefore not the scriptural basis for the system of practice described in the Pancakrama. However, the 68th chapter of the Vajramālātantra is closely related to the Pancakrama. Several verses of the Pancakrama are also found in the Vajramalatantra (Pañcakrama IV, 8, 9, 11; IV, 19–21; I, 16–24 ; not identical but similar: 1, 4-6). M. shows that it is very likely that the verses IV, 19–21 were taken from the Pañcakrama by the author of the Vajramālātantra. According to the present text of the Pañcakrama, verses I, 16-24 are a quotation from the Vajramalatantra. In the oldest commentary on the Pañcakrama, the Caryāmela paka pradipa, only verses 19 -23 are explained. Moreover, these same verses are found in the Sambarodayatantra. The Caryāmela pakapradipa also does not explain the verses quoted from the Catur. devipariprcchatantra and the Advayasamatavija yamahayogatantra in chap
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'Remarks on Tantric Hermeneutics, Proceedings of the Csoma de Körös Memorial Symposium (Budapest, 1978), pp. 445-458.