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
3 (of 32)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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Tanjur is divided into two Tantra and S奴tra. The Biography of
Dharmasvaming is of greater importance since it deals with the so called
decadent phase of Buddhism which was characterised by its Vajray膩na or
Tantric form. A large and important part of the Mah膩y膩na literature
constitute of Tantric elements like the Dh膩ra峁嚹玸. We have a Tibetan
version of a group of S眉tras with Tantric affiliations, collected as early
as the 4th century A.D. under the title Mah膩sannip膩ta.103
The Praj帽膩p膩ramit膩-S奴tras also throw much light on Tantric Buddhism.
They contain all the paraphernalia of worship which is to be found in
Tantra. The S奴tras, Hrdayas奴tratras, Dh膩ra峁嚹玸 and Mantras contained in
鈿� them presuppose the Tantric cults of Vajray膩na Buddhism. Of the earlier
Tantras which were composed before and about the 8th century A.D.
reference should be made to the Guhyasam膩ja, Mah膩vairocana,
Sarvatath膩ga-tattvasamgraha (found both in Tibetan and Sanskrit Mass.),
Vajra艣ikhara (a version of the preceding one), Vajrabhairava (found both
in Tibetan and Sanskrit Mss.), Cakrasamvara (also known as Samvara
and Dakin墨j膩la and having various recensions in Tibetan) and
Ma帽ju艣r墨m眉lakalpa. The composition of the Ma帽ju艣r墨m眉lakalpa and the
Guhyasam膩ja must have taken place sometime after the K膩ra峁囜笉avy奴ha and
the Mah膩pratya峁僩ir膩-dhara峁嚹�, i.e., about the 5th or 6th century A.D.
As per the Buddhist texts of Tantra the Tantrika worshipper identifies
himself in meditation with the Deity he worships and places before
himself the fully blossomed condition represented by the Deity as the
ideal to be realised. But this practice must be conjoined with a facsimile -
cognition of the ultimate truth of S奴nyata, emptiness. The union of
艢奴nyat膩 or Wisdom (Praj帽膩) and Deity Yoga or the Means (Up膩ya) is
the essence of Buddhist Tantra. According to Pranabananda Jash the
Hindu Tantra texts uphold similar ideals, of course with the exception of
the S奴nyat膩 Yoga. This differentiates tantrika from the Paur膩峁噄ka
worshipper. Who, on the other hand, can never think of the identity
between himself and his Deity, and always bears in mind the immense
103 N.N. Bhattacharyya, History of the Tantric Religion, p.58.
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