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 1 - Tantric Buddhism
28 (of 63)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
fundamental philosophy of Shākyamuni Buddha as Dependent Arising. He
inherited and developed the philosophy of early buddhism that is based
on the twelve links of dependent arising, and based on this he understood
dependent arising to be the Middle Way of eight Negations. Thus his
theory of dependent arising is based on the Philosophy of the Perfection
of Wisdom Sūtras.
In "Mūlamadhyamaka kārikā, Nāgārjuna insists that all existence is
emptiness or lack of inherent existence does not have a fixed form and a
self-nature, because they are dependent arising.
The occurrence of self-nature through causes and conditions is not proper.
Self-nature that has occurred as a result of causes and conditions would be
something that is made. (MK. 15.1)41
Again, how could there be a self-nature that is made? Indeed, an unmade
self-nature is also non-contingent upon another. (MK. 15.2.)42
[Commentary] In here the inherently existent is (a characteristic for] the Self
Existent. Just like the inherent nature (ātmīyam rūpam) of something (padartha) is
defined as the inherent existence of that. (PP. 15.2)43
Because of the perception of change, the absence of self-nature of existents is
[recognized]. Because of the emptiness of existents, there is no existent without
self-nature. (nāsvabhāvaś, ca bhāvo 'sti). (MK. 13.3)44
: The Imperial Academy Of Sciences, 1903-1913), p.11. [abbreviated MKV(P)]
41 na saṃbhava� svabhāvasya yukta� pratyaya-hetubhi�/ hetu-pratyaya-saṃbhūta�
svabhāva� kṛtako bhavet// (MKV(P)., p.259)
42 svabhāva� kṛtako nāma bhavisyati puna� katha�/ akṛtrima� svabhāvo hi
nirapekṣa� paratra ca// (MKV(P)., pp.260-262)
43 iha svo bhāva� svabhāva iti yasya padarthasya yadātmīya� rupam tattasya
svabhäva iti vyapadiśyate// (MKV(P)., p.262, 1.12 - p.263, 1.1)
44 bhāvānā� niḥsvabhāvatvam anyathā-bhāva-darśanāt nāsvabhāvaś ca bhāvo 'sti
bhāvānā� śūnyatā yata�// J.W.De Jong, Nāgārjuna, Mūlamadhyamakakārikā�, The
Adyar Library Series, No.109 (Madras: Adyar Library and Research Centre,
1977), p.17. The underlined portion of this verse is quoted from J.W.De Jong's
corrected edition and it is at variance with Poussin's corrected edition of the
same. De Jong's rectification was based on the manuscript possessed by Guiseppe
Tucci. However Poussin did not use the manuscript in Tucci's possession while
he was working on the corrected edition of "Prasannapаdāл. J.W. De Jong,
Textcritical Notes on the Prasannapadā, Indo-Iranian Journal, Vol. 20, Nos.1-2
(Holland: D.Raidel Publishing Company, 1978), p.55. In Poussin's corrected edition,
the verse is as follows: bhāvānā� niḥsvabhāvatvam anyathā-bhāva-darśanāt/
asvabhāvo bhāvo nāsti bhāvānā� śūṇyatā yata�// (MKV(P)., p.240)
�
33 -
