SEM BUDDHISM TEXTS

Early Buddhist Ritual Literature

What did Buddhist ritual look like before the grand esoteric synthesis of the seventh and eighth centuries CE? To investigate the precedents of esoteric Buddhism, we must look to earlier genres of incantatory literature: vidyā (spells), rakṣā (wards), and dhāraṇī (encapsulations).The seminar will focus in detail on the Mahāmāyūrīvidyārājñī (Great Peahen, Queen of Spells) and the Amoghapāśahṛdaya (Unerring Lasso’s Heart-Spell, an early precursor to the Amoghapāśakalparāja). We will examine these texts and associated literature in a variety of languages, including Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese; competence in reading at least one of these languages is required to participate in the course.