Remarks On Trantristic Hermeneutics

Author(s): Ernst Steinkellner
Publisher: Ernst Steinkellner

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the impression of being conceived by a certain author with the background of a longer development of its constituent parts. And-for a workinghypothesis - I would consider Candrakirti as the one who has finally put these hermeneutical pieces together.
In any case we have to assume that the final development of these tantristic hermeneutics took place around 800 A.D.39 And starting from that period this hermeneutical system was obligatory, at least for all Indian and later Tibetan scholars with an exegetical interest in the Guhyasamījacycle. In the case mentioned at the beginning, of a seemingly non-tantric statement within the Tantra we must, therefore, be aware of the fact that it has-if possible - more than one or two meanings, namely four: one which can be taken as literal, while the others are tantric.
List of terms
a. Silnskrit
6. Tibetan
akşarārthah arutaalamkāraḥ upoughātuh karta kolikam kaukrtyam garbhi caturvidhår ākhyānam jñānutrayam jñānatrayavicetanam dvividhabhedah travajñanam na rutanāsandhyā nidānam nimittam niruktih
(Variants of the same term are included) kun rdzob bden pa rtogs bkod pa dgons pa min pas bśad dgons pas bśad dgons min dgons bśad 'gyod rgyan rgyan bdun rgyas bśad mtha'rnam pa drug nes don nes pa'i don ji bźin sgra ji bźin sgra ma yin ji bżin min pa mtha' mtha' drug
nitārthah neyārthah
mthar thug pa mthar thug pa'i don
4. kolikam 7. prabhāsvaraprakāśaḥ
d. *abhisambodhikramah mthur thug 'ord ysal ba rab ston
mnon par byar chub pa'i
rim pa 8. yugunadihaprabodhanam e. *yuganuddhakramah zun du 'jug pa rtogs pa
zun du 'jug pa'i rim pa 39 I follow A. Wayman (The Builhist Tantras. London 1973, p. 14) in giving the first half of the ninth century to Candrakirti.
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