Cundi (Buddhism)
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(
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
: चुन्दी, ; ;
pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
: ''Zhǔntí Púsà''; ) or (चुन्दा, ), also known as (सप्तकोटिबुद्धमत्ड़्, "Goddess of the Seventy Million ('' saptakoṭi'') uddhas; ;
pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
: ''Qījùzhī Fómǔ''), is a female
bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...
and a manifestation of the
Cundī Dhāraṇī Cundā Dhāraṇī is a popular Buddhist mantra in China associated with Cundā according to the ': Before reading the mantra, Buddhists reads these three times: Nan Huaijin suggested adding ''Om Bhrūm'' (''Ong Bu Lin'') to the ending of th ...
prominently revered in
East Asian East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea a ...
Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...
and
Vajrayana Buddhism Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...
.


In Buddhist traditions

While Cundī is less well known in Tibetan Buddhism, she is revered in East Asian Buddhism. In China, she is known as ''Zhǔntí Púsà'' (, "Cundi Bodhisattva") or ''Zhǔntí Fómǔ'' (, "Cundi Buddha-Mother"). She is also sometimes considered a manifestation of
Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...
and in this form she is called ''Zhǔntí Guānyīn'' (
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
: 準提觀音, "Cundi Avalokiteśvara"). She is known as ''Junje Gwan-eum Bosal'' (준제관음보살,
Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...
: 准提觀音菩薩, "Cundi Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva") in Korean, while in Japan she is known as ''Jundei Kannon'' (准胝観音, "Cundi Avalokiteśvara"). Robert Gimello observed that in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, the esoteric
Tangmi Chinese Esoteric Buddhism refers to traditions of Tantra and Esoteric Buddhism that have flourished among the Chinese people. The Tantric masters Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra, established the Esoteric Buddhist ''Zhenyan'' (, "true ...
practices of Cundī were extremely popular among both the populace and the elite. The Tantric goddess Cundi was the object of popular occult practice in Chinese Buddhism from the Tang dynasty and continued afterwards with the adoption of esoteric teachings by other sects of Buddhism in China. In modern Chinese Buddhism, she is one of the more popular manifestations of
Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...
. She is also sometimes identified with Marīci or the
Queen of Heaven Queen of Heaven ( la, Regina Caeli) is a title given to the Virgin Mary, by Christians mainly of the Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, in Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. The Catholic teaching on this subject is expresse ...
. In Chinese Buddhist temples in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
, statues of Cundī are traditionally enshrined in vegetarian halls (齋堂; ''zhaitang'').


Source texts

In Hindu texts, she was considered a vindictive form of the goddess Durgā, or
Pārvatī Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in ...
, wife of the god
Śiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
, before being syncretized into Buddhism. The first textual source of Cundī and the Cundī Dhāraṇī is the ', a sūtra centered around the bodhisattva
Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, ...
that introduced the popular mantra '.Studholme, Alexander (2002) ''The origins of Oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ: a study of the Kāraṇḍavyūha sūtra'': p. 175 This text is first dated to around the late 4th century CE to the early 5th century CE. Cundī and the Cundī Dhāraṇī are also featured in the Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra, which was translated three times from Sanskrit into
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
in the late 7th century and early 8th century by the Indian esoteric masters Divākara (685 CE),
Vajrabodhi Vajrabodhi ( sa, वज्रबोधि, , 671–741) was an Indian esoteric Buddhist monk from Kerala and teacher in Tang China. He is one of the eight patriarchs in Shingon Buddhism. He is notable for introducing Vajrayana Buddhism in the te ...
(723 CE), and
Amoghavajra Amoghavajra ( sa, अमोघवज्र ; , 705–774) was a prolific translator who became one of the most politically powerful Buddhist monks in Chinese history and is acknowledged as one of the Eight Patriarchs of the Doctrine in Shingon ...
(8th century).


Cundī Dhāraṇī

According to the ', the dhāraṇī associated with Cundī is the following:''The Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra''
/ref> :' :' In the sūtra, the Buddha speaks extensively about the various effects and benefits of reciting the Cundī dhāraṇī. Many of the effects are purifying and uplifting in nature. For example, after pronouncing the dhāraṇī, the Buddha then says: The dhāraṇī is also closely associated with
buddhahood In Buddhism, Buddha (; Pali, Sanskrit: 𑀩𑀼𑀤𑁆𑀥, बुद्ध), "awakened one", is a title for those who are awake, and have attained nirvana and Buddhahood through their own efforts and insight, without a teacher to point out ...
and complete enlightenment (Skt. '). At the end of the sūtra, the Buddha closes the teaching by saying: It is widely held that the dhāraṇī can bring about many benefits, even for lay practitioners. Some of the dhāraṇī's functions include praying for success in career; harmony in marriage and relationships; and academic achievements. It is particularly helpful for young adults looking for a job, a partner in life or hoping to be successful academically. However, the wishes you make must be reasonable and legitimate. Generally, a practitioner can recite the dhāraṇī 21, 27 or 49 times per day.


Iconography

Cundī is usually depicted with multiple arms. The most common form has eighteen arms, each wielding implements that symbolize ''
upaya Upaya (Sanskrit: उपाय, , ''expedient means'', ''pedagogy'') is a term used in Buddhism to refer to an aspect of guidance along the Buddhist paths to liberation where a conscious, voluntary action "is driven by an incomplete reasoning" a ...
''. Her eighteen arms also represent the eighteen merits of attaining Buddhahood, as described in an appendix to the '. Forms of Cundī with four, six, or sixteen arms can also be seen. The four arms of the four-armed form of Cundī symbolize the four immeasurables: loving-kindness or benevolence (''maitrī''), compassion (''karuṇā''), empathetic joy (''muditā''), and equanimity (''upekṣā'').


Gallery

File:Four-armed Chunda, Central Java, Vanasava, Dieng Plateau, 9th-10th century AD, bronze - Ethnological Museum, Berlin - DSC01926.JPG, Four-armed statue of Chunda,
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
, Vanasava,
Dieng Plateau The Dieng Plateau is a marshy plateau that forms the floor of a caldera complex on the Dieng Volcanic Complex in Wonosobo and Banjarnegara Regencies, Central Java Province, Indonesia. Referred to as "Dieng" by Indonesians, it sits at above sea l ...
, 9th-10th century AD, bronze. File:Ten-armed Tantric Goddess (perhaps Chunda), Central Java, Prambanan, 10th century AD, bronze - Ethnological Museum, Berlin - DSC01927.JPG, Ten-armed Tantric Goddess (perhaps Chunda),
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
,
Prambanan Prambanan ( id, Candi Prambanan, jv, ꦫꦫꦗꦺꦴꦁꦒꦿꦁ, Rara Jonggrang) is a 9th-century Hindu temple compound in Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimūrti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the P ...
, 10th century AD, bronze. File:明-清 陳洪綬 準提佛母法像圖 軸-Bodhisattva Guanyin in the Form of the Buddha Mother MET DP317447.jpg, Painting of the Bodhisattva Guanyin in the Form of the Buddha-Mother (Cundi). By
Chen Hongshou Chen Hongshou (1598–1652), formerly romanized as Ch'en Hung-shou, was a Chinese painter of the late Ming dynasty. Life Chen was born in Zhuji, Zhejiang province in 1598, during the Ming dynasty. His courtesy name was Zhanghou (章侯), and hi ...
(1599-1652). Dated 1620,
Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
. File:Cundi Bodhisattva, flanked by devas.jpg, Cundi, flanked by
devas Devas may refer to: * Devas Club, a club in south London * Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter * Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist * Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club * Devas (band), ...
, and with
Bhaisajyaguru Bhaiṣajyaguru ( sa, भैषज्यगुरु, zh, t= , ja, 薬師仏, ko, 약사불, bo, སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja ("Medicine Master ...
Buddha (left) and Amitabha Buddha (right). The Chinese text on the front of the altar reads, ''Namo Zhunti Wang Pusa'', or "Namo Cundi King Bodhisattva." Statue located at a Chinese Buddhist temple in
Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in the ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. File:Statue of Cundi, Shishuang Temple, Picture1.jpg, Statue of Cundi in
Shishuang Temple Shishuang Temple () is a Buddhist temple located in the town of Jingang, Liuyang, Hunan, China. In ancient times, Shishuang Temple, Daowu Temple (), Baogai Temple () and Daguang Temple () were called "Four Buddhist Temples in Liuyang". Histo ...
, Jingang,
Liuyang Liuyang () is a county-level city, the most populous and the easternmost county-level division of Hunan Province, China; it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Changsha, the provincial capital. Located on the northeaste ...
,
Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. File:Bronze Cundi-Avalokitesvara mirror.jpg, Pair of bronze mirrors showing Cundi, one with a Sanskrit inscription in
Lantsa The Rañjanā script (Lantsa) is an abugida writing system which developed in the 11th centuryJwajalapa
script, and one with a Sanskrit inscription in Chinese script.
Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
(1271–1368). Held at the
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,
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. Similar instruments are still widely used in esoteric practices where practitioners will chant the Cundi dhāraṇī while looking into the smooth side of the mirror. From the practitioner's visual perspective, it would appear as though the deity were facing them from within the reflective surface. File:Cundi Bodhisattva, Vietnam, 19th century AD, lacquered wood - Museum of Vietnamese History - Ho Chi Minh City - DSC06020.JPG, Statue of Cundi,
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, 19th century AD, lacquered wood - held at the
Museum of Vietnamese History The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History is located at 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Formerly known as the Musée Blanchard de la Brosse, built by Auguste Delaval in 1926, and The National Muse ...
,
Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...
.


See also

*
Chan Chan may refer to: Places *Chan (commune), Cambodia *Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada People *Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田) *Chan Caldwel ...
*
Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most wid ...
*
Chandi Chandi ( sa, चण्डी, ) or Chandika () is a Hindu deity. Chandika is another form of Mahadevi, similar to Durga. Chandika is a powerful form of Mahadevi who manifested to destroy evil. She is also known as ''Kaushiki'', '' Katyayan ...


References


External links


English translation of the ''Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra''
{{Chinese Buddhist Pantheon Bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara Buddhism in China Yidams Chinese gods Investiture of the Gods characters