Essay name: Hevajra Tantra (analytical study)
Author:
Seung Ho Nam
Affiliation: University of Kerala / Faculty of Oriental Studies
This is an English study of the Hevajra Tantra: an ancient Sanskrit text that teaches the process of attaining Buddha-hood for removing the sufferings of all sentient beings. The Hevajratantra amplifies the views and methods found in the Guhyasamaja Tantra (one of the earliest extant Buddhist Tantras) dealing with Yoga and Mandalas.
Chapter 2 - Place of Hevajra Tantra in Tantric Literature
16 (of 32)
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makes him a contemporary of Indrabh奴ti, Lalitavajra and Kukkurip膩.
Besides the Hevajratantra, Padmavajra had another work called
Guhyasiddhi written in twilight language or sandhy膩bh膩峁Ｄ�. He was also
the author of Utpatti-Kramas膩dhana and a few other works. According to
T膩ran膩tha, Saraha introduced the Buddhakap膩la-tantra, 尝耻颈辫腻
尝耻颈辫腻
the
Yogini-samcarya, K峁涐梗n膩c膩rya the Sampu峁璦tilaka, Gambhiravajra the
Vajr膩m峁泃a-tantra and Pito the K膩l膩cakra-tantra.125
are
(2.5.67) 126
The 'Hevajra Tantra, and the commentary "Yogaratnam膩l膩
considered to be fine examples of the tantric compositional style. In both
the root text and commentary the "Hevajra Tantra is refered to as a
Yogini Tantra. The commentator calls it a Niruttara tantra. It is evident
that the "Guhyasam膩ja Tantra, and "Sarvatath膩gatatattvasamgraha, have
influenced the 'Hevajra Tantra. In the "Hevajra Tantra
there is couplet in an Apabhram艣a dialect describing the characteristic of
the Innate. This couplet is found in one of the songs of the Mah膩siddha
Saraha. If the "Hevajra Tantra is quoting the words of Saraha it would
imply that the "Hevajra Tantra was composed during or after Saraha's
time. We think that it was composed between the 8th and 9th century
A.D., somewhere in the region of modern day Bengal, Orissa or Bihar.
Based on Taran膩tha's work on the life of the mahasiddha K峁涐梗峁嚹乧膩rya it
can be said that the K峁涐梗峁嚹乧膩rya who has written the "Yogaratnam膩l膩
commentary is the same person whose songs under the name of K膩峁噃a
and K峁涐梗峁嘺pa峁囜笉ita are found in the collections of Buddhist Cary膩 songs.127
The tantric yoga techniques described in the "Hevajra Tantra, have-
their origins in an orally transmitted tradition which antedates the written
tradition by at least a few centuries. Concepts and practices from various
religious and social contexts are found in the Vajray膩na, known as
Mantray膩na in Buddhist tantric literature. The Vajray膩na tradition adopted
125 N.N. Bhattacharyya, History of the Tantric Religion, pp.59鈥�60.
126 bhagav膩n 膩ha ai na anta na mahyu tahim natra bhava natra nirv膩峁嘺/ ehu so
paramamah膩suha nau para nau app膩峁嘺// (HT[F&M]., p.259)
127 G.W.Farrow & I.Menon (tr. and ed.), The Concealed Essence of the Hevajra
Tantra with the Commentary Yogaratnam膩l膩, p.xLiii.
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