Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sutra
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Mahāmayūrī Vidyārājñī Sūtra, also known as the Peacock King Sutra (Chinese: 孔雀王咒經; pinyin: Kǒngquè Wáng Zhòujīng), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist scripture focused on the bodhisattva Mahamayuri, also known as the Great Peacock Wisdom Queen. The sutra is a protective text that invokes Mahāmayūrī's powers to eliminate poison, disease, and various dangers.[1][2]
Origins and development
The Mahāmayūrī Vidyārājñī Sūtra developed from an earlier text containing two Buddhist narratives. The first concerns the monk Svāti (also known as Sāḍḍhi), who is bitten by a venomous snake while collecting firewood. Ānanda finds him in distress and asks the Buddha for help. The Buddha then teaches the Mahāmayūrī dhāraṇī to cure Svāti and counteract the poison. The second is a jātaka tale in which the Buddha, in a previous life as the Golden Peacock King, uses a protective mantra to protect himself and his flock. On one occasion, he becomes distracted by his peahen consorts and forgets to recite the mantra, allowing a hunter to capture him. He later remembers the dhāraṇī and escapes by reciting it.[3][4]
The earliest known version of the text is preserved in the 4th-century Bower Manuscript. Later versions became longer and incorporated additional rituals, protective deities, and cosmological material. These changes can be seen in the later Chinese translations, which vary considerably in length.[3]
The Mahāmayūrī Vidyārājñī Sūtra belongs to Buddhist dhāraṇī literature and is associated with the esoteric traditions of Mahāyāna Buddhism. The text originated in India and was translated into Chinese several times between the 4th and 8th centuries. It later became an important protective text in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. Several Chinese translations are known:
- A version attributed to Po-Srimitra during the Eastern Jin dynasty, which survives in three variant recensions.[5]
- A two-scroll version translated by Saṅghavarman during the Liang dynasty, around 516 CE.[6]
- A three-scroll version translated by Yijing in 705 CE, titled Dà Kǒngquè Wáng Zhòuwáng Jīng (大孔雀王咒王經).[7]
- A version produced by the esoteric master Amoghavajra (Chinese: 不空; pinyin: Bùkōng) in the mid-8th century, titled Fómǔ Dà Kǒngquè Míngwáng Jīng (佛母大孔雀明王經).[7]
These versions are preserved in the Taishō Tripiṭaka (T. 985–987) and other Buddhist canonical collections.
In the Chinese Buddhist canon, the sutra appears under several titles corresponding to its different translations. One of the best-known is Fómǔ Dà Kǒngquè Míngwáng Jīng (佛母大孔雀明王經).[8]
Ritual practices
The Mahāmayūrī Vidyārājñī Sūtra is regarded not only as a canonical text but also as a ritual manual. From the Tang dynasty onward, it became integral to state-protection ceremonies in both China and Japan. Imperial courts commissioned rituals derived from the sutra to invoke rainfall, end droughts, avert warfare, and promote national peace and prosperity.[9]
In Japanese Esoteric Buddhism (Mikkyō), the sutra—known as the Kujaku Myōō Kyō—is considered one of the most important texts for rituals of pacification and protection. The monk Kūkai, founder of the Shingon school, is traditionally credited with performing esoteric rites based on the sutra, including the Kujaku-hō (雲雀法; lit. 'Peacock King Rite') used for purification and spiritual defense.[10]
References
- ↑ 三蔵法師の道: 西遊記のシルクロ-ド (in Japanese). Asahi Shinbun. 1999.
- ↑ "The Peacock King (Kongque mingwang 孔雀明王), Kongque dong 孔雀洞". open.library.ubc.ca.
- 1 2 Chung, Cheng Yew. "佛母大孔雀明王經" (PDF). Liber.
- ↑ "從東京國立博物館藏孔雀明王圖 談佛教東傳之歷史". 典藏 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 6 January 2017.
- ↑ "漢籍全文．佛典經錄資料庫". jinglu.cbeta.org.
- ↑ Saṅghavarman, d 520; Kumārajīva, d 412? (1673). "佛説孔雀王呪經 2巻坿音釋 . 佛説大孔雀王神呪經 . 佛説大孔雀王雜神呪經 1巻坿音釋 . 大金色孔雀王呪經 . 佛説不空羂索呪經 1巻坿音釋" (in Japanese). 黄檗山寶藏院.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - 1 2 "法脈源流－善慈法師淺談孔雀法門（五）". 國際佛教觀音寺 (in Chinese (Taiwan)).
- ↑ Banerjee, Priyatosh (2001). Central Asian Art: New Revelations from Xinjiang. Abha Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-85704-24-1.
- ↑ Quintman, Andrew; Gayley, Holly (6 June 2023). Living Treasure: Buddhist and Tibetan Studies in Honor of Janet Gyatso. Simon and Schuster. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-61429-800-7.
- ↑ Kim, Sujung (30 November 2019). Shinra Myōjin and Buddhist Networks of the East Asian “Mediterranean”. University of Hawaii Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-8248-8173-3.