Ki kang; Rāhula; Rāhu; Tibetan Buddhism; Tantra; Mythology; Divination; Demonology
摘要
The astrological demon Rāhula is one of the three most important protector deities in the Rnying ma (Ancient) school of Tibetan Buddhism, with a rich and especially striking iconography and mythological history. This deity is, in part, an adaptation and transformation of the Indian eclipse asura, Rāhu, and as such, previous scholarship on him has tended to focus exclusively on his origins and role in Indian astrology and cosmology, from his early appearance as the nemesis of the sun and moon in a Mahābhārata creation myth to his importance in the inner alchemy of the Kālacakra Tantra. This paper will shift focus and instead examine Rāhula’s largely underappreciated connection to Chinese-inspired elemental divination (’byung rtsis) systems that became popular in Tibet beginning in the eighth and ninth centuries. In particular, this article will examine the figure of “Ki kang,” an early alternate name for Rāhula, in what may be the earliest extant myth about him found in the Ancient Tantra Collection (Rnying ma rgyud ’bum), in a Mahāyoga Tantra called The Black Nail. I argue that this myth shows striking contrast with Rāhula’s later and more wellknown origin stories, which are much more clearly directly inspired by Indian sources. Textual and structural clues in the Black Nail myth indicate a deep and thorough connection to specifically Chinese systems of astral divination. Furthermore, I argue that the name “Ki kang” is a Tibetan adaptation of a Chinese word, and that certain aspects of Rāhula’s Tibetan iconography, in particular his especially iconic raven head is more likely inspired by east Asian artistic and mythological conventions than Indian ones. Ultimately, I attempt to show that Ki kang/Rāhula may have been filtered through a specifically Chinese cultural lens before being adopted into Tibetan Buddhism, rather than being a direct Tibetan adaptation of the Indian deity.
目次
Abstract The Black Nail Tantra and Clarifying Lamp Myths 152 Sa bdag, ’Byung rtsis, and Du har Nag po 160 Structurally Similar ’Byung rtsis Myths 162 Chinese Origins 165 Conclusion 168 References 174
