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ABSTRACT
The Shi Moheyan lun 釋摩訶衍論 is the commentary on the Awakening of Mahāyāna Faith 大乘起信論. Kūkai 空海 (774–835), the Shingon founder, placed this text in a key position in Shingon Teachings. Later, Emperor Daozong 道宗 (r. 1055–1101) of Liao 遼 also valued the Shi Moheyan lun. One of the common reasons why Kūkai and Daozong paid attention to the Shi Moheyan lun is that it includes elements of both exoteric and esoteric Buddhism. The Shi Moheyan lun’s various mantras are described in Fascicles 8 and 9. The distinct feature of these mantras is its characters’ unique shape, which is only found in the Shi Moheyan lun. Therefore, it is hard to understand exactly what this means and where they came from. Through this study, I examine the meaning of the unusual mantras of the Shi Moheyan lun with its commentaries of Chinese and Japanese books in the tenth and thirteenth centuries. From this, I determine not only their meaning but also their origin, and reveal the relationships and tendencies of esoteric Buddhism in China and Japan.
Abbreviations
Shilun = Shi Moheyan lun 釋摩訶衍論
Qixin lun = Dasheng qixin lun 大乘起信論
K = Tripitaka Koreana 高麗大藏經
T = Taishō shinshū daizōkyō 大正新脩大藏經
X = Wanzi xu zangjing 卍字續藏經
[房] = Fangshan Stone Sūtra 房山石經 edition of Shi Moheyan lun 釋摩訶衍論
[東] = Tōdai-ji 東大寺 manuscript of Shi Moheyan lun 釋摩訶衍論
[身] = Minobusan University 身延山大 woodblock-printed book of Shi Moheyan lun 釋摩訶衍論
[成] = Naritasanji 成田山寺 woodblock-printed book
[国] = National Diet library 國立國會圖書館 woodblock-printed book
[大] = Ōtani University 大谷大 manuscript of Shi Moheyan lun 釋摩訶衍論
Notes
1. During this time, many commentaries were published, including Xianyan’s 鮮演 Moheyan lun xianzheng shu 摩訶衍論顯正疏, Fawu’s 法悟 Shi Moheyan lun zanxuan shu 釋摩訶衍論贊玄疏, and the commentaries by Shouzhen 守臻 and Zhifu 志福 (see below).
2. Many Shingon monks wrote commentaries on the Shilun: Raiyu’s 賴瑜 (1226–1304) Shaku Makaen ron kaige sho 釋摩訶衍論開解鈔, Raihō’s 賴寶 (1279–1330) Shaku Makaen ron kanchū 釋摩訶衍論勘注, Yūkai’s 宥快 (1345–1416) Shaku Makaen ron ketaku shū 釋摩訶衍論決擇集, and so on.
3. Dasheng qixin lun 大乘起信論, T no.1668, 32: 582b7–8: 或現天像菩薩像, 亦作如 来 像相好具足.
4. Shi Moheyan lun, T no. 1668, 32: 659a16–17: 若外道人爲作三像, 各用幾門, 各六門故.
5. The stages of sculpting the statue of heavenly beings are in the order of carving eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, hands, feet, head and face. The number of recitations is each 18,000. When people sculpt the statue of Bodhisattvas and Tathāgata, the number of recitations is head (8,450), face (3,700), eyes (8,450), ears (61,000), nose (108,000), tongue (57,000), body (104,000), hands (81,000) and feet (32,100). In the case of the statue of Tathāgata, the dhāraṇīs are added.
6. Shi Moheyan lun, T no.1668, 32: 660a22–26.
7. Shi Moheyan lun, T no.1668, 32: 661b14–18.
8. Shi Moheyan lun, T. no.1668, 32: 661c5–8.
9. Honda, ‘The interpretation of Shi Moheyan lun.’
10. Ishii, ‘Shinra seiritsu,’ 80–81.
11. Mochizuki (‘Shaku Makaen ron no singi,’ ‘Shaku Makaen ron gizō kō’) [720–779], Tanigawa (‘Nyū ryōga kyō kenkyū nōto’) [before 700–704], Morita (Shaku Makaen ron no kenkyū) [712–774], Kagawa (‘Shaku Makaen ron no shi teki kenkyū’) [712–780], Nasu (Shaku Makaen ron kōgi; Shaku Makaen ron zen) [the early to mid-eighth century], Shioiri (‘Shaku Makaen ron kaidai’), Ishii (‘Shinra seiritsu no kyouron’; ‘Shaku Makaen ron no seiritsu jijyō’), Sato (‘Silla Kegon to Shaku Makaen ron tono kankei wo meguru hitotsu no degakari’) [712–779], Kim (‘Inyonggyeongjeone geungeohan seogmahayeonlonui jeosulsigi gochal’; ‘Seogmahayeonlonui juseogjeog yeongu’; ‘Distribution and Preservation of the Shi Moheyan lun 釋摩訶衍論 Manuscripts in East Asia) [712–724].
12. Ishii, ‘Shinra seiritsu,’ 80–81.
13. Mollier, Buddhism and Daoism Face to Face, 128.
14. Ibid., 158.
15. Nishida, Seikamoji, 32.
16. Kim, ‘Goryeo Daejanggyeongbon,’ 129–158.
17. I used the woodblock printed book of the Haeinsa Temple 海印寺 collection in the Woljeongsa Temple 月精寺. I thank ‘The Research Institute of Tripitaka Koreana’ for providing this manuscript and permission to use it.
18. Kim Y., ‘GoryeoDaejanggyeongbon,’ 138.
19. I used the text of Manji zokuzōkyō 卍續藏經 because I could not check the manuscripts or block-printed book of the commentaries on the Shilun yet. I intend to consider them in my next research work.
20. All Rights are reserved in the Ōtani University 大谷大 Museum. Do not quote or use the document without their permit. I thank the Ōtani University Library to provide the manuscript and permit to use it.
21. All Rights are reserved in the Tō-ji Kanchiin 東寺觀智院. Do not quote or use the document without their permit. I thank the Ōtani University Library for providing the manuscript and permission to use it.
22. I marked the manuscript of Tō-ji as ‘東寺’ to distinguish ‘東,’ which I marked to represent the manuscript of Todaiji 東大寺 in another article of mine.
23. All Rights are reserved in the National Diet Library 國立國會圖書館.
24. All Rights are reserved in the Minobusan University 身延山大 Library. Do not quote or use the document without their permit. I thank the Minobusan University Library for providing the manuscript and permission to use it.
25. I did not include this text in the table because I could not check this wood-block printed book and refer to Nasu, Shaku makaen ron zen. Therefore, I only mention this text when there are differences.
26. I researched the [東寺], but I could not continue the process of applying for copyright permission due to COVID-19. Therefore, I could not use photos of these texts in the table, and I describe the related part instead.
27. I previously mentioned that the [K] was modified via comparison with other texts although the original script of [K] is the Qidan Tripitaka. Kim J., ‘Distribution and Preservation of the Shi Moheyan lun.’
28. Kim, 'Goryeo Daejanggyeongbon,' 140–141.
29. Kim, ‘Seokgatap Mugujungkyungui daranie,’ 309.
30. In the text of Naritasanji 成田山寺, ‘イン’ was marked beside ‘九.’ Nasu, Shaku Makaen ron zen, 485.