Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 26. (Budapest, 2008)

Béla KELÉNYI: 'May It Shine like the Sun and Moon!' Consecration Texts from a Tibetan Stüpa

'The dhärani for the consecration of the stüpa of immaculate light: tadyathà / om vipulavimale pravarajinavare / vara vara sarvatathdgatadhdtugarbhe / satyddhisth {ijte svähä / ay {

äjntu bhuvan {e} svähä / sarvadevänäm ävah{ä}mi buddhädhisthänasamaye svähä /' [Namely: OM The Great and Spodess One, The Best of the Best Victorious Ones. VARA VARA, The Relic Receptacle of all the Tathägatas. The One Empowered by Truth SVÄHÄ. Let them come to the Earth SVÄHÄ. I invite all the gods. The Vow of the Buddha's Empowerment SVÄHÄ].

25 An important role is played by the stüpa 's central shaft (S.: yasti, T: srog shing) made of wood and placed inside, the dhärani

26 of which had — after being written down ninety-nine times according to tradition - to be affixed to four sides of the shaft.

27 The term 'base', or 'support', (T.: rten) written at the beginning of the following scroll is probably linked to this.

2

* 'The dhärani of immaculate light for the stüpa: om sarvatathägatavipulayasti manikanakaräjavibhüsitayasti dhuru dhu{ruj / samantavilokit{e

} / sara sara / mama sarvapäpavisodhani / bod {h jani / sambodhani / pravarayastivare tnanidhvajasurucir{e} ma {lajvisuddhe hüm hüm svähä /' [OM The Great Pole of all the Tathägatas, The Pole Ornamented by the King of Jewels and Gold, DHURU DHURU. The One Beheld all around. Move, move. The One who Purifies of all Misdeeds for me. The One Who Awakens. The One Who Completely Awakens. The Best of the Best Poles, The One Radiant by a Jewelled Victory Banner, The One Purified of Taints HÜM HÜM SVÄHÄ].

29 The third text concerns the presentation of the offering (S.: púja, T: mchod) in connection with the stüpa

30 (ill. 4): 'The dhärani accompanying the offering of immaculate light: namo navanavatinäm tathägatagangänadiväluk {ä jsamänäkot {i} niyutasatasahasrä..... ... -, 4. Paper ribbon containing a text presenting the offering connected with the stüpa nam I om püri{n}i pure / calini cale / mori kori cala vira svähä //' [Veneration to the ninety-nine times ten-million-million-hundred-thousand Tathägatas equalling the sand particles of the Gangä river. OM PÜRINI PURE. CALINI CALE. MORI KORI CALA VÏRA SVÄHÄ].

31 On the basis of the abovementioned Tibetan manual, I succeeded in identifying the next Sanskrit dhdranis on the following, two-line scrolls. Of these, the most important are the Five Great Dhdranis. As Bentor has pointed out in an early Tibetan text as well, these dhdranis, which derive from the so-called dhärani sütras, are the following: Usnîsavijayâ (T.: gPsnggtor mam rgyal), Vimalosnlsa (T.: gTsuggtor dri med), Guhyadhätu (T.: gSang ba ring bsrel), Bodhyalarikäralaksa (T.: Byang chub rgyan 'bum) and Pratïtyasamutpâda (T.: rien 'hrel

'snyingpó)?

2 As regards their content and positioning, the Tibetan book gives not only the five seed syllables — which correspond to the different parts of the stüpa — to be written on the five 'centres' of the sculpture, but also the mantras and dhäranis to be placed 'below' and 'above' them. According to this book, under the OM syllable to be written on the forehead should be placed the 'OM All Knowledge SVÄHÄ' (S.: om sarvavidyfe} svähä) mantra, and under the ÄH syllable to be written on the neck Sanskrit vowels and consonants (T.: dbyangs gsal). Under