The ''Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra'' ("''The Basket's Display''", Full

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: ''Āryakāraṇḍavyūhanāmamahāyānasūtra'', Tibetan: phags paza ma tog bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo; zh, t=佛說大乘莊嚴寶王經, p=Fó shuō dàchéng zhuāngyán bǎo wáng jīng) is 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 ...

sūtra ''Sutra'' ()Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aphorism or a collection of aphorisms in the form of a manual or, more broadly, a ...

which extols the virtues and powers of

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (meaning "the lord who looks down", International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ), also known as Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World") and Chenrezig (in Tibetan), is a Bodhisattva#Bhūmis (stages), tenth-level bodhisattva associ ...

, who is presented here as a primordial cosmic overlord (a kind of adibuddha figure) and as the source of numerous Indian deities.Alexander Studholme, ''The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum: A Study of the Karandavyuha Sutra'', SUNY, 2002, p. 40 The ''Kāraṇḍavyūha'' was compiled at the end of the 4th century or beginning of the 5th century CE. It exists in Chinese translation (at

Taishō Tripiṭaka The ''Taishō Tripiṭaka'' (; Japanese: ''Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō''; " Taishō Revised Tripiṭaka") is a definitive edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon and its Japanese commentaries used by scholars in the 20th century. The name is abbr ...

no. 1050) and in Tibetan (Tohoku no. 116). This sutra is particularly notable for introducing the

mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

Om mani padme hum ' (, ) is the six-syllabled Sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. It first appeared in the Mahayana ''Kāraṇḍavyūha sūtra'', where it is also referr ...

and also teaching the important Cundi dharani.

Overview

Alexander Studholme writes that the '' Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra'' presents the great

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 ...

(Lokeśvara) as a kind of supreme lord of the cosmos and as the progenitor of various heavenly bodies and divinities (such as the Sun and Moon, the deities Shiva and Vishnu, etc.). According to the ''Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra'', many Indic deities were born from Avalokiteśvara bodhisattva's body, such as: *

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

(the Sun) and

Chandra Chandra (), also known as Soma (), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) and Dikpala (guardians of the directions). Etymology and other ...

(Moon) are said to be born from Avalokiteśvara's eyes *

Maheśvara Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

from his brow *

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

from his shoulders *

Narayana Narayana (, ) is one of the forms and epithets of Vishnu. In this form, the deity is depicted in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, symbolising the masculine principle and associated with his role of creation. He is also known as Pu ...

from his heart * Mahalakshmi from his knee *

Saraswati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...

from his teeth, *

Vayu Vayu (; ), also known as Vata () and Pavana (), is the Hindu deities, Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In the ''Vedic scriptures'', Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king o ...

(Wind) from his mouth *

Varuna Varuna (; , ) is a Hindu god. He is one of the earliest deities in pantheon, whose role underwent a significant transformation from the Vedic to the Puranic periods. In the early Vedic era, Varuna is seen as the god-sovereign, ruling the sky ...

(Water) from his stomach * Bhudevi (Earth) from his feet Avalokiteśvara himself is linked in the versified version of the sutra to the first Buddha, the

Adi-Buddha The Ādi-Buddha (, Ch: 本佛, Jp: honbutsu, First Buddha, Original Buddha, or Primordial Buddha) is a Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to the most fundamental, supreme, or ancient Buddha in the cosmos. Another common term for this figure is ...

, who is 'svayambhu' (self-existent, not born from anything or anyone). Studholme comments:

Avalokitesvara himself, the verse sutra adds, is an emanation of the ''Adibuddha'', or 'primordial Buddha', a term that is explicitly said to be synonymous with ''Svayambhu'' and ''Adinatha'', 'primordial lord'.

Mantras

The sutra introduces the Buddhist

Om Mani padme Hum ' (, ) is the six-syllabled Sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. It first appeared in the Mahayana ''Kāraṇḍavyūha sūtra'', where it is also referr ...

, which it states can lead to liberation (''moksha'') and eventual

Buddhahood In Buddhism, Buddha (, which in classic Indo-Aryan languages, Indic languages means "awakened one") is a title for those who are Enlightenment in Buddhism, spiritually awake or enlightened, and have thus attained the Buddhist paths to liberat ...

. In the

sutra ''Sutra'' ()Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aphorism or a collection of aphorisms in the form of a manual or, more broadly, a ...

Shakyamuni Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

states, "This is the most beneficial mantra. Even I made this aspiration to all the million Buddhas and subsequently received this teaching from Buddha Amitabha." Alexander Studholme sees this famous mantra as being a declarative aspiration, possibly meaning 'I in the jewel-lotus', with the jewel-lotus being a reference to birth in the lotus made of jewels in the Buddhist Eternal Paradise or Pure land '

Sukhavati Sukhavati ( IAST: ''Sukhāvatī''; "Blissful"; Chinese: 極樂世界, lit. "realm of ultimate bliss") is the pure land (or buddhafield) of the Buddha Amitābha in Mahayana Buddhism. Sukhavati is also called the Land of Bliss or Western Pure L ...

' of Buddha Amitabha. The mantra is the very heart of

(the supreme

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

of Compassion) and can usher in Awakening. A. Studholme writes:

Om Manipadme Hum, then, is both the ''paramahrdaya'', or 'innermost heart', of Avalokiteśvara ... It is also ... a '' mahavidya'', a mantra capable of bringing about the 'great knowledge' of enlightenment itself ...

The ''Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra'' also sees the mantra as the

pith Pith, or medulla, is a tissue in the stems of vascular plants. Pith is composed of soft, spongy parenchyma cells, which in some cases can store starch. In eudicotyledons, pith is located in the center of the stem. In monocotyledons, it ex ...

or condensed expression of all "eighty four thousand Dharmas". Because of this it is called "the grain of rice of the Mahayana", and reciting it is equivalent to reciting numerous sutras. After presenting the Mani mantra, the ' also presents the

dhāraṇī Dharanis (IAST: ), also known as (Skt.) ''vidyās'' and ''paritas'' or (Pal.) ''parittas'', are lengthier Buddhism, Buddhist mantras functioning as mnemonic codes, incantations, or recitations, and almost exclusively written originally in Sanskri ...

of Cundī, which occurs towards the end of the sūtra.Studholme, Alexander (2002). ''The Origins of Oṃ Maṇipadme Hūṃ: A Study of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra'': p. 175 This occurs as Seventy million Buddhas appear and recite ''Cundī Dhāraṇī'' which is: This event causes "a pore in Avalokitesvara’s body to open and reveal in brilliant illumination a vast multitude of world systems (T. 1050: 20.63a)" according to Gimello.Gimello, Robert (2004). ″Icon and Incantation: The Goddess Zhunti and the Role of Images in the Occult Buddhism of China." In ''Images in Asian Religions: Texts and Contexts'' ed. Phyllis Granoff and Koichi Shinohara: pp. 71-85.

Mandala

Ṣaḍakṣarī mandala, Avalokiteśvara in the center flanked by Mahāmaṇidhara and Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā. The sutra also describes a specific maṇḍala (the ṣaḍakṣarī mạḍala, mandala of the six syllable one) with

Amitābha Amitābha (, "Measureless" or "Limitless" Light), also known as Amituofo in Chinese language, Chinese, Amida in Japanese language, Japanese and Öpakmé in Tibetan script, Tibetan, is one of the main Buddhahood, Buddhas of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddh ...

Buddha at the center, a bodhisattva named Mahāmaṇidhara on his right and the goddess Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā on his left:

It should be square with a circumference of five cubits. Draw Amitābha in the centre of the maṇḍala. To create the body of Tathāgata Amitābha, sprinkle powder made from precious sapphire powder, emerald powder, ruby powder, crystal powder, and powdered silver and gold. On his right create Bodhisattva Mahāmaṇidhara. On his left draw Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā, who has four arms and is white like the autumn moon. She is adorned with various adornments and holds a lotus in her left hand. Draw a jewel upon that lotus. Draw a jewel rosary in her left hand. Portray the palms of two hands being placed together in the gesture named the lord-of-all-kings. Draw a vidyādhara beneath the legs of Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā. Draw him holding a smoking stick of incense in his right hand and a basket filled with various adornments in his left hand. Draw the four mahārājas at the four doors of the maṇḍala. Draw them holding their individual offerings. Place vases filled with various precious jewels at the four corners of the maṇḍala.

This ṣaḍakṣarī mạḍala has also been found in other sources like the Sādhanamālā and in a stele found by Indian archeologists. In the Sādhanamālā and in this stele, Avalokiteśvara is at the center of the mandala instead of Amitabha, and he is flanked by Maṇidhara bodhisattva and Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā.

Influence

According to a Tibetan legendary tradition, the text of ''Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra'' arrived in a casket from the sky unto the roof of the palace of the 28th king of Tibet, Lha Thothori Nyantsen, who died in the fifth century C.E., in southern Tibet. This coincides with one version of dating of the ''Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra'', somewhere in the 4th or perhaps early 5th century, however it seems more likely that the ''sutra'' has originated in

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

, due to closeness to characteristics to Kasmiri tantric traditions of the time and to ''Avataṁsakasūtra'' earlier associated with the Central Asian regions. The ''Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra'' was also an influential text on

Chinese Esoteric Buddhism Chinese Esoteric Buddhism refers to traditions of Tantra and Vajrayana, Esoteric Buddhism that have flourished among the Chinese people. The Tantric masters Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra, established the Esoteric Buddhist ''Zhenyan'' ...

, which makes use of both the Mani mantra and the Cundi dharani.

Translations

* ''Tibetan''. The ''Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra'' was first translated into Tibetan as the ''Za ma tog bkod pa'' in the 8th century CE by Jinamitra, Yeshe De (or Jnanasutra) and others. * ''Chinese''. The text was translated by the monk Tianxizai ( Chinese: 天息災,

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: ''Tiānxīzāi'',

: ''Devasantika'') into Chinese in 983 CE during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

. * ''French''. The Sutra has been translated from the Sanskrit into French by Eugène Burnouf (1801-1852)
Eugène Burnouf (1801-1852) et les études indo-iranologiques
actes de la Journée d'étude d'Urville (28 mai 2022) suivis des Lalitavistara (chap. 1-2) et Kāraṇḍavyūha traduits par E. Burnouf, édités par Guillaume Ducoeur, Université de Strasbourg, 2022. * ''English''. The Sutra has been translated from the Tibetan into English by Peter Alan Roberts with the help of Tulku Yeshi, in 2013.Link to the scanned version

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

: . After the translated text is a "Glossary", which contains the definitions of 195 words, given in

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

and

Tibetan script The Tibetan script is a segmental writing system, or '' abugida'', forming a part of the Brahmic scripts, and used to write certain Tibetic languages, including Tibetan, Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Ladakhi, Jirel and Balti. Its exact origins ...

.
Note: The PDF version is also available via the link indicated in the External links section.

Citations

General and cited references

* * Roberts, Peter Alan (2012)
"Translating Translation: An Encounter with the Ninth-Century Tibetan Version of the ''Kārandavyūha-sūtra''
''Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies'' 3, 224-242

External links

English translation of Karandavyuha

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra Avalokiteśvara Mahayana sutras