The ''Āryamañjuśrīmūlakalpa'' (''The Noble Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī'') is a

Mahāyāna sūtra The Mahayana sutras are Buddhist texts that are accepted as wikt:canon, canonical and authentic Buddhist texts, ''buddhavacana'' in Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhist sanghas. These include three types of sutras: Those spoken by the Buddha; those spoke ...

and a

Mantrayāna ''Vajrayāna'' (; 'vajra vehicle'), also known as Mantrayāna ('mantra vehicle'), Guhyamantrayāna ('secret mantra vehicle'), Tantrayāna ('tantra vehicle'), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition that emp ...

ritual manual (kalpa) affiliated with the

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

of wisdom,

Mañjuśrī Manjushri () is a ''bodhisattva'' who represents ''Prajñā (Buddhism), prajñā'' (transcendent wisdom) of the Buddhas in Mahāyāna Buddhism. The name "Mañjuśrī" is a combination of Sanskrit word "wikt:%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%9E%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9C%E0 ...

. In

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

it is classified as a Kriyā-tantra.Keown, Damien (editor) with Hodge, Stephen; Jones, Charles; Tinti, Paola (2003). ''A Dictionary of Buddhism.'' Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p.172. According to Sanderson (2009: 129) and the study by Matsunaga (1985), the text is datable to about 775 CE. The ''Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa'' is often cited as the earliest example of an extant Indian Buddhist Tantra. Some scholars identify it as a compilation of a core verse text dated circa 6th century CE with later accretions and additions. The Sanskrit version, significantly longer than its corresponding Chinese and Tibetan renderings, is still extant. The ''Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa'' states that mantras taught in the

Shaiva Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...

, Garuda and

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

tantras will be effective if applied by Buddhists since they were all taught originally by

.Sanderson, Alexis. "The Śaiva Age: The Rise and Dominance of Śaivism during the Early Medieval Period." In: Genesis and Development of Tantrism, edited by Shingo Einoo. Tokyo: Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, 2009. Institute of Oriental Culture Special Series, 23, pp. 129-131. The attribution to Mañjuśrī is an attempt by its author(s) to counter the objection that the teachings in this text are of non-Buddhist origin. The bulk of the text deals with chants and mantras useful for spiritual purposes as well as material gain. Some chapters discuss fierce and sexual tantric rituals.

Editions

The

editio princeps In Textual scholarship, textual and classical scholarship, the ''editio princeps'' (plural: ''editiones principes'') of a work is the first printed edition of the work, that previously had existed only in manuscripts. These had to be copied by han ...

of the mixed Sanskrit text was published by T. Ganapati Sastri in three volumes (Trivandrum, published 1920, 1923, and 1925 respectively). Rahul Sankrityayana's edition appeared in 1934. Ganapati Sastri's edition with some modifications was reprinted by P. L. Vaidya in 1964. An English translation was published online in 2020 by the 84000 organization.

External links

English translation of the Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa by 84000Paper from ''The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies'' on the Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa by Glenn Wallis

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manjusri-Mula-Kalpa Buddhist tantras Mañjuśrī Tibetan Buddhist practices Vajrayana