The main purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics of the abhiṣeka ritual prescribed in the scriptures of the early form of tantric Buddhism, most likely composed around the 6th century.
First, I discuss the abhiṣeka ritual in the *Subāhuparipṛcchā （蘇婆呼童子請問経: SuPa）, comparing its system with that of the “Puṣya-bath” （Puṣyasnāna） in the Bṛhatsaṃhitā, composed by the 6th century polymath Varāhamihira. I conclude as follows: （1） the abhiṣeka ritual of SuPa takes on the characteristics of non-Buddhist practice because the latter is performed on the maṇḍala in which there is no place for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; （2） the water in which wrathful deities are entered by reciting mantras materially acts on demons （vināyakas） that possess the target of this ritual, and performs a purifying function; （3） in the context of abhiṣeka rituals aimed at purifying or warding off evil, words derived from abhi-√sic are used in a sense similar to √snā, and it is conceivable that both belong to the same category.
Second, I discuss the abhiṣeka ritual in the *Mahāmaṇivipulavimāna （宝楼閣経: MaVi）, comparing its system with the related passages in the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā and the Sukhāvatīvyūha. These Mahāyānasūtras teach that practitioners who put their mind to performing virtuous deeds promoted in each scripture are paid attention to, accepted, and empowered by the Buddhas. These statements which show that Buddhas assist practitioners to attain Buddhahood bear a strong resemblance to those in the MaVi. Thus, MaVi replaces the various practices stated in the Mahāyānasūtras with the practice of abhiṣeka and assures practitioners of their achievement of enlightment through performing it. Therefore, it might be said that the main purpose of the abhiṣeka ritual prescribed in the MaVi is to give a sort of a prophecy to the target of this ritual and to encourage him to strive for the goal of attaining enlightment.
In addition to the above considerations, because there is no statement concerning the observance of rules for the group of the practitioners or the devotion to one’s religious preceptor in the manuals in both the SuPa and MaVi, it is possible that the abhiṣeka as a initiation ceremony had not been established firmly at the time both of the scriptures were compiled.
