英文摘要 |
By analyzing the section of “Essentials of the Esoteric Teaching” in the famous Liao dynasty Buddhist work the Essentials for the Attainment of Buddhahood through the Perfect Penetration of the Exoteric and the Esoteric, this article attempts to research on the various interpretations of mantras which Daoshen has brought together, thus disclosing the inner meaning of the Esoteric Buddhist practices. This article is divided into two parts. First, the author provides a comparison of various translations of Cundi scriptures during Tang dynasty. Second, this paper tries to explore the beliefs and practices that comprise the cult of deity Cundī. For Daoshen, Cundī’s omnipotent mantra and her cult subsumed the entire esoteric tradition. According to Daoshen, to recite Cundī mantra was equivalent to reciting all the mantras of full twenty-five divisions of esotericism. Thus, for Daoshen, the Cundī cult was not simply one among many varieties of esoteric Buddhism; it was rather comprehensive of the whole esoteric tradition. |