Namo Buddhāya Gurave (K. 888): Circulation of a Liturgical Formula across Asia
Abstract
The article takes an inscription from Cambodia as its starting point, showing that it is a Sanskrit verse of homage to the three jewels that is associated with the celebrated Indian poet, Mātṛceṭa (ca. 4th century). It places the verse within a wide liturgical context, showing that it was known in Tang China, and that it has been known and recited in Nepal and Bali up to the 20th century or even the present. The article gives new readings of two of the versions, those of the Khmer inscription and of the Chinese transcription. It is a contribution to the somewhat neglected field of Sanskrit Buddhist (and/or Buddhist Sanskrit) liturgy.
References
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Pou, Saveros. Nouvelles inscriptions du Cambodge I. Paris: École française d’Extrême-Orient, 1989.
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Roth, Gustav. “‘A Saint like That’ and ‘A Saviour’ in Prakrit, Pali, Sanskrit and Tibetan Literature.” In Heinz Bechert and Petra Kieffer-Pülz (eds.), Indian Studies: Selected Papers of Gustav Roth, Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1986 (Bibliotheca Buddhica No. 32), pp. 91–107.
Ruegg, David Seyfort. “Autour du Lta ba’i khyad par de Ye shes sde.” In David Seyfort Ruegg, The Buddhist Philosophy of the Middle: Essays on Indian and Tibetan Madhyamaka, Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2010, pp. 267–287. (originally published in Journal asiatique, Année 1981, pp. 207–229).
Samten, Ngawang and Janardan Pandey (ed.). ‘Nityakarmapūjāvidhiḥ.’ Dhīḥ Journal of Rare Buddhist Texts Research 33 (2002), pp. 155–166.
Śāśanī, Ṭh.R. (ed.). “Advayavajraviracitagranthadvayam, Kudṛṣṭinirgātinaṃ Kudṛṣṭinirghātavākkyaṭippaṇikā ca (grantha-paricay).” Dhīḥ, Journal of Rare Buddhist Texts Research, 54 (2014), pp. 165–207.
Sharkey, Gregory. Buddhist Daily Ritual: The Nitya Puja in Kathmandu Valley Shrines. Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2001.
Silk, Jonathan (tr.). “A Sūtra for Long Life.” In Donald S. Lopez, Jr. (ed.), Buddhist Scriptures, London: Penguin Books, 2004, Chap. 47.
Skilling, Peter. Mahāsūtras: Great Discourses of the Buddha. Vol. II, Parts I & II. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1997 (Sacred Books of the Buddhists XLVI).
Skilling, Peter. “An Oṃ maṇipadme Hūṃ Inscription from South-East Asia.” Aséanie 11 (June 2003), pp. 13–20.
Snellgrove, David. Angkor – Before and After: A Cultural History of the Khmers. Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2004.
Subhadra Subhadradis, MC. Pratimakam khom. Bangkok, 2515.
Ye shes sde (Jñānasena). Sangs rgyas gtso bo’i rgya cher ’grel pa. Peking edition of the Tibetan Tanjur No. 5848, Vol. 145, tsho 269v7–274r1.
Zeffreys, Marlene L., Nicholas S. Zeffreys, and Jeffrey Stone. Heaven and Empire: Khmer Bronzes from the 9th to the 15th Centuries. Bangkok: White Lotus, 2001.
Banārsī Lāl. “Durlabh Granth Paricaya,” in Dhīḥ – Durlabh bauddha granth śodh patrikā, 46 (2008), pp. 7–14.
Burnouf, E. Introduction à l’histoire du bouddhisme indien. Deuxième Édition. Paris: Maisonneuve et Cie, 1876.
Cœdès, George. Inscriptions du Cambodge VIII. Paris: École française d’Extrême-Orient, 1966, pp. 210–11.
Cœdès, George. “La plus ancienne inscription en pāli du Cambodge.” Repr. in George Cœdès, Articles sur le pays khmer, Paris, École française d’Extrême-Orient,1989, pp. 282–289 (originally published BEFEO XXXVI, pp 1–21).
Dalsheimer, Nadine. Les collections du musée national de Phnom Penh. Paris: École française d’Extrême-Orient, 2001.
Duan Qing (ed.). Das Khotanische Aparimitāyuḥsūtra, Ausgabe, Kommentar, Übersetzung und Glossar. Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik, Dissertationen Band 3 (Reinbek: Dr. Inge Wezler, Verlag für Orientalische Fachpublikationen, n.d).
Edgerton, Franklin. Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary. Vol. II: Dictionary, [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1953] Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1972.
Garnier, Pierre, Guy Nafilyan, Christian Cres, and Jacqueline Nafilyan. L’art khmer en situation de reserve/Khmer Art in reserve. Marseille: Éditions Européennes Marseille – Provence & Arts et Expressions Marseille – Provence, 1997.
Gellner, David: “Ritualized Devotion, Altruism, and Meditation: The offering of the guru maṇḍala in Newar Buddhism.” Indo-Iranian Journal 34 (1991), pp. 161–197.
Hahn, Michael (tr.). Invitation to Enlightenment: Letter to the Great King Kaniṣka by Mātṛceṭa [and] Letter to a Disciple by Candragomin. Berkeley: Dharma Publishing, 1999.
Hartmann, Jens-Uwe (ed., tr.). Das Varṇārhavarṇastotra des Mātṛceṭa. Göttingen (Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen No. 160). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1987.
Hartmann, Jens-Uwe. “The Triratnastotra ascribed to Mātṛceṭa.” In Helga Uebach and Jampa L. Panglung, (eds.), Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 4th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Schloss Hohenkammer-Munich 1985 (Studia Tibetica: Quellen und Studien zur tibetischcn Lexikographie, Band II), Munich: Kommission für Zentralasiatische Studien, Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1988, pp. 177–184.
Hartmann, Jens-Uwe. “Neues zum Varṇārhavarṇa.” In Martin Straube et al. (eds.), Pāsādikadānam: Festschrift für Bhikkhu Pāsādika, Marburg: Indica et Tibetica Verlag, 2009 (Indica et Tibetica, 52), pp. 229–241.
Hurvitz, Leon. “Hsüan-tsang (602–664) and the Heart Scripture.” In Lewis Lancaster (ed.), Prajñāpāramitā and Related Systems. Studies in Honour of Edward Conze. Berkeley 1977 (Berkeley Buddhist Series 1), pp. 103–121.
Jinaputra (rGyal ba’i sras). Triratnastotravṛtti. Peking edition of the Tibetan Kanjur No. 2036, Vol. 46, ka 123r1–128v8.
Lévi, Sylvain. Bālidvīpagranthāḥ / Sanskrit Texts from Bali. Baroda: Oriental Institute (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series No. LXVII), 1933.
Li Rongxi (tr.). Buddhist Monastic Traditions of Southern Asia: A Record of the Inner Law Sent Home from the South Seas by Śramaṇa Yijing. Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 2000.
Mātṛceṭa. Triratnastotra / dKon mchog gsum la bstod pa. Peking edition of the Tibetan Tanjur No. 2035, Vol. 46, ka 122v4–123r1.
Mauger, Henri. “Práḥ Khằn de Koṃpoṅ Svày.” Bulletin de l’École française d’Extrême-Orient XXXIX (1939), p. 212.
Payne, Richard K. “Aparimitāyus: ‘Tantra’ and ‘Pure Land’ in Medieval Indian Buddhism?” Pacific World, Third Series, No. 9 (Fall 2007), pp. 273–308.
Piriya Krairiksh. Rak ngao haeng sinlapa Thai. Bangkok: River Books, 2553 [2010].
Pou, Saveros. Nouvelles inscriptions du Cambodge I. Paris: École française d’Extrême-Orient, 1989.
Python, Pierre. Vinaya-viniścaya-upāli-praipṛcchā. Enquête d’Upāli pir une exégèse de la discipline. Traduit du sanscrit, du tibétain et du chinois, avec introduction, édition critique des fragments sanscrits et de la version tibétaine, notes et glossaires. En appendice: texte et traduction de T 1582, I, et du Sugatapañcatriṃśatastotra de Mātṛceṭa. Paris: Adrien-Maissoneuve, 1973 (Collection Jean Przyluski, Tome V).
Roth, Gustav. “‘A Saint like That’ and ‘A Saviour’ in Prakrit, Pali, Sanskrit and Tibetan Literature.” In Heinz Bechert and Petra Kieffer-Pülz (eds.), Indian Studies: Selected Papers of Gustav Roth, Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1986 (Bibliotheca Buddhica No. 32), pp. 91–107.
Ruegg, David Seyfort. “Autour du Lta ba’i khyad par de Ye shes sde.” In David Seyfort Ruegg, The Buddhist Philosophy of the Middle: Essays on Indian and Tibetan Madhyamaka, Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2010, pp. 267–287. (originally published in Journal asiatique, Année 1981, pp. 207–229).
Samten, Ngawang and Janardan Pandey (ed.). ‘Nityakarmapūjāvidhiḥ.’ Dhīḥ Journal of Rare Buddhist Texts Research 33 (2002), pp. 155–166.
Śāśanī, Ṭh.R. (ed.). “Advayavajraviracitagranthadvayam, Kudṛṣṭinirgātinaṃ Kudṛṣṭinirghātavākkyaṭippaṇikā ca (grantha-paricay).” Dhīḥ, Journal of Rare Buddhist Texts Research, 54 (2014), pp. 165–207.
Sharkey, Gregory. Buddhist Daily Ritual: The Nitya Puja in Kathmandu Valley Shrines. Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2001.
Silk, Jonathan (tr.). “A Sūtra for Long Life.” In Donald S. Lopez, Jr. (ed.), Buddhist Scriptures, London: Penguin Books, 2004, Chap. 47.
Skilling, Peter. Mahāsūtras: Great Discourses of the Buddha. Vol. II, Parts I & II. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 1997 (Sacred Books of the Buddhists XLVI).
Skilling, Peter. “An Oṃ maṇipadme Hūṃ Inscription from South-East Asia.” Aséanie 11 (June 2003), pp. 13–20.
Snellgrove, David. Angkor – Before and After: A Cultural History of the Khmers. Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2004.
Subhadra Subhadradis, MC. Pratimakam khom. Bangkok, 2515.
Ye shes sde (Jñānasena). Sangs rgyas gtso bo’i rgya cher ’grel pa. Peking edition of the Tibetan Tanjur No. 5848, Vol. 145, tsho 269v7–274r1.
Zeffreys, Marlene L., Nicholas S. Zeffreys, and Jeffrey Stone. Heaven and Empire: Khmer Bronzes from the 9th to the 15th Centuries. Bangkok: White Lotus, 2001.
