TheKāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra ("The Basket's Display", FullSanskrit:Āryakāraṇḍavyūhanāmamahāyānasūtra, Tibetan: ['phags pa] za ma tog bkod pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo;Chinese:佛說大乘莊嚴寶王經;pinyin:Fó shuō dàchéng zhuāngyán bǎo wáng jīng;Jyutping:fat6 syut3 daai6 sing4 zong1 jim4 bou2 wong4 ging1) is aMantrayānasūtra which extols the virtues and powers ofAvalokiteśvara, who is presented here as a primordial cosmic overlord (a kind ofadibuddha figure) and as the source of numerous Indian deities.[1][2][3]
TheKāraṇḍavyūha was compiled at the end of the 4th century or beginning of the 5th century CE.[4] It exists in Chinese translation (atTaishō Tripiṭaka no. 1050) and in Tibetan (Tohoku no. 116). This sutra is particularly notable for introducing themantraOm mani padme hum and also teaching the importantCundi dharani.
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Alexander Studholme writes that theKāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra presents the greatbodhisattvaAvalokiteśvara (Lokeśvara) as a kind of supreme lord of the cosmos and as the progenitor of various heavenly bodies and divinities (such as the Sun and Moon, the deities Shiva and Vishnu, etc.).[2]
According to theKāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, many Indic deities were born from Avalokiteśvara bodhisattva's body, such as:[5]
Avalokiteśvara himself is linked in the versified version of the sutra to the first Buddha, theAdi-Buddha, who is 'svayambhu' (self-existent, not born from anything or anyone). Studholme comments:
Avalokitesvara himself, the verse sutra adds, is an emanation of theAdibuddha, or 'primordial Buddha', a term that is explicitly said to be synonymous withSvayambhu andAdinatha, 'primordial lord'.[6]
The sutra introduces the Buddhistmantra,Om Mani padme Hum, which it states can lead to liberation (moksha) and eventualBuddhahood.[7] In thesutra,Shakyamuni Buddha states, "This is the most beneficial mantra. Even I made this aspiration to all the million Buddhas and subsequently received this teaching from BuddhaAmitabha."[8]
Alexander Studholme sees this famous mantra as being a declarative aspiration, possibly meaning 'I in the jewel-lotus',[9] with the jewel-lotus being a reference to birth in the lotus made of jewels in the Buddhist Eternal Paradise or Pure land 'Sukhavati' of BuddhaAmitabha. The mantra is the very heart ofAvalokiteśvara (the supremeBuddha of Compassion) and can usher in Awakening. A. Studholme writes:
Om Manipadme Hum, then, is both theparamahrdaya, or 'innermost heart', of Avalokiteśvara ... It is also ... amahavidya, a mantra capable of bringing about the 'great knowledge' of enlightenment itself ...[10]
TheKāraṇḍavyūhasūtra also sees the mantra as thepith or condensed expression of all "eighty four thousand Dharmas". Because of this it is called "the grain of rice of the Mahayana", and reciting it is equivalent to reciting numerous sutras.[11]
After presenting the Mani mantra, theKāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra also presents thedhāraṇī ofCundī, which occurs towards the end of the sūtra.[12] This occurs as Seventy million Buddhas appear and reciteCundī Dhāraṇī which is:namaḥ saptānāṃ samyaksaṃbuddha koṭīnāṃ tadyathā, oṃ cale cule cunde svāhā.[13] This event causes "a pore in Avalokitesvara’s body to open and reveal in brilliant illumination a vast multitude of world systems (T. 1050: 20.63a)" according to Gimello.[14]
The sutra also describes a specific maṇḍala (the ṣaḍakṣarī mạḍala, mandala of the six syllable one) withAmitābha Buddha at the center, a bodhisattva named Mahāmaṇidhara on his right and the goddess Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā on his left:[15]
It should be square with a circumference of five cubits. Draw Amitābha in the centre of the maṇḍala. To create the body of Tathāgata Amitābha, sprinkle powder made from precious sapphire powder, emerald powder, ruby powder, crystal powder, and powdered silver and gold. On his right create Bodhisattva Mahāmaṇidhara. On his left draw Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā, who has four arms and is white like the autumn moon. She is adorned with various adornments and holds a lotus in her left hand. Draw a jewel upon that lotus. Draw a jewel rosary in her left hand. Portray the palms of two hands being placed together in the gesture named the lord-of-all-kings. Draw a vidyādhara beneath the legs of Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā. Draw him holding a smoking stick of incense in his right hand and a basket filled with various adornments in his left hand. Draw the four mahārājas at the four doors of the maṇḍala. Draw them holding their individual offerings. Place vases filled with various precious jewels at the four corners of the maṇḍala.
This ṣaḍakṣarī mạḍala has also been found in other sources like the Sādhanamālā and in a stele found by Indian archeologists. In the Sādhanamālā and in this stele, Avalokiteśvara is at the center of the mandala instead of Amitabha, and he is flanked by Maṇidhara bodhisattva and Ṣaḍakṣarī Mahāvidyā.[16]
According to a Tibetan legendary tradition, the text ofKāraṇḍavyūhasūtra arrived in a casket from the sky unto the roof of the palace of the 28th king of Tibet, LhaThothori Nyantsen, who died in the fifth century C.E., in southern Tibet. This coincides with one version of dating of theKāraṇḍavyūhasūtra, somewhere in the 4th or perhaps early 5th century, however it seems more likely that thesutra has originated inKashmir, due to closeness to characteristics to Kasmiritantric traditions of the time and toAvataṁsakasūtra earlier associated with the Central Asian regions.[17]
TheKāraṇḍavyūhasūtra was also an influential text onChinese Esoteric Buddhism, which makes use of both the Mani mantra and the Cundi dharani.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Retrieved 11 May 2022.. After the translated text is a "Glossary", which contains the definitions of 195 words, given inSanskritIAST andTibetan script.