Sanskrit Beyond Text: The Use of Bonji (Siddham) in Mandala
The a-ji kan and Kūkai’s “world-text” theory
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| The a-ji kan and Kūkai’s “world-text” theory
The imagery of the a-ji kan presents a perfect entrée into Kūkai’s semiotic theories and how such theories are applied to the use of Sanskrit. Although there are no records from Kūkai’s time devoted specifically to this practice, its basis is the Dainichi-kyō and various commentaries have discussed it in part. With roots in this sutra and other early texts that mention the a-ji kan, this practice exists today with many variations. 80 Despite such variations, today the material focus of the contemplation, or meditation, is often a hanging scroll (figure 5). This hanging scroll depicts the Sanskrit character A, the Sanskrit seed syllable (shūji) of the central Shingon deity Dainichi Buddha (Jp.: Dainichi butsu, 大日仏 , Skt.: Mahavaircana), enthroned on a lotus pedestal encircled by a circle, often called a mirror or moon disc. 81 The a-ji kan as it is practiced today at monasteries on Mount Kōya, a key if not primary Shingon Mikkyō site, involves the following process: cleansing the hands and mouth, sitting in the lotus position in front of an a-ji kan icon (a-ji kan honzon, 阿字観本尊 ), regulating respiration, calming the heartbeat, focusing on the honzon, and eventually visualizing it with eyes closed. 82 The goal in the a-ji kan is in part to 79 Kūkai. Shōraimokuroku, KZ 1. The headings in the Shōraimokuroku are discussed in Bogel, With a Single Glance, p. 116. 80 One can find diverse explanations of such variations. For example, a sectarian description of the practice’s Shingon form related to Mt. Kōya can be found in a book by the monk Miyata Taisen. Miyata, Taisen. Ajikan: a Manual for the Esoteric Meditation. Los Angeles, CA: T. Miyata, 1979. 81 In Japanese called the gachirin (月輪, Eng.: (full) moon or moon when it’s round). 82 The process includes many other steps (such as notes on what clothing to wear, mudras to perform, prayers to speak, etc.), which are outlined (both in English and Japanese) in various sources. The abbreviated description that I www.manaraa.com 28 establish a connection within the practitioner to the Dainichi Buddha. The use of the transformation technique in particular clearly shows this aspect of the a-ji kan. 83 This rite can also be seen as a step in the process of mastering Sanskrit. 84 Although we do not know for sure what the a-ji kan imagery or process was in the Heian period (or if it was a uniform practice with uniform imagery), textual and visual evidence 85 suggests that it has remained largely unchanged, despite relatively small variations. For example, a passage of the Dainichi-kyō suggests that the imagery used in the modern a-ji kan is similar to early imagery used as the focus of this rite: Contemplate that lotus. It has eight petals and its stamens are outspread. On the flower dais is the A-syllable. It gives fiery wonder to the lotus. Its brilliance radiating everywhere to illuminate living beings, like the meeting of a thousand lightning bolts, it has the form of the Buddha’s meritorious manifestations. From deep within a round mirror it manifests in all directions. Like the moon in clear water, it appears before all living beings. Knowing this to be the nature of the mind, one is enabled to dwell in the practice of mantra. 86 In the Notes on the Secret Treasury (Jp.: 秘蔵記, Hizōki), attributed to Kūkai, the practice is obliquely referred to: Here is a verse on the letter A, which stands for the enlightened mind: Visualize: a white lotus flower with eight petals, [above which is a full moon disc] the size of a forearm in diameter, [in which is] a radiant silvery letter A. Unite your dhyana with prajna in an adamantine binding; Draw the quiescent Prajna of the Tathagata in [your mind]. 87 provide is based on a sectarian Japanese text given by a Shingon monk to Cynthea Bogel, who subsequently shared the text with me. 83 In which one “visualizes” a deity’s seed syllable and symbolic forms that then “transform” into the practitioner, who is the divinity’s anthropomorphic form. Bogel, With a Single Glance, p. 200. 84 Such a process would culminate (from at least the medieval times) in a ritual using hō mandara, which will be described in the next chapter. The a-ji kan is a practice that was likely spread broadly in the Mikkyō clergy. By the twelfth century, it had spread even to aristocrats as evidenced in the Ajigi handscroll which will be discussed in the next chapter. 85 I will discuss one of these visual works, dating to the twelfth century, in detail in the next chapter. 86 Bogel, tải về 3.51 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
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