This thesis traces the origins and history of homa in India paying special attention to its Buddhist variations. It compares the Vedic, Hindu, and Buddhist tantric homa rituals and examines similarities and differences between them. Drawing on a wide range of Vedic and tantric scriptures, such as the Ṛg Veda, Atharva Veda, Bṛhadāraṇyaka and Chāndogya Upaniṣads, Matsya and Vāyu Purāṇas, Mahāvairocana Sūtra, Guhyasamāja, Cakrasaṃvara and Hevajra Tantras, this study attempts to establish how much Buddhism has in common with Vedic culture. As anticipated, tantric homa rituals in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions undeniably share the same roots that go back to India’s Vedic and pre-Vedic past.
目次
Acknowledgments iv The Reverence of the Fire v Frontispiece vi Abbreviations viii Introduction 1 I. Vedic Origins 13 II. Upaniṣads 21 III. Asceticism 23 Yogas 24 IV. Sacrifice According to the Pāli Suttas 26 V. Homas of the Mahāvairocana Sūtra 31 VI. Homas of the Yoginī Tantras 52 VII. Inner Homas 65 Conclusion 88 Bibliography 91
