An important element in the ritual corpus of Shingon Buddhism, a tantric tradition in Japan, is the homa (goma, 護摩). This is a votive ritual in which offerings are made into a fire, and has roots that trace to the Vedic ritual tradition. One of the five ritual functions that the homa can fulfill is destruction, abhicāra. A destructive ritual with Yamāntaka as the chief deity is one such ritual in the contemporary Shingon ritual corpus. Consideration of this ritual provides entrée into the history of destructive practices, including violent subjugation, that date from very early in the Buddhist tradition. Exploration of this theme is offered as a balancing corrective to the modern representation of Buddhism as an exception to the violent character of other religions. However, despite the history of destructive ritual practices, the contemporary homa examined in the latter part of the essay shows very few of the characteristics found historically. This indicates an ambiguity in the tradition between a historical understanding of such rituals as literally destructive of one’s enemies, and the contemporary understanding that the enemies to be destroyed are simply personifications of one’s own obscurations.
目次
Abstract 11 Introduction 11 Brief Historical Overview: From the Vedas to the Tantras 13 What’s Under the Rock of Sublimation? 17 Three, Four, Five, Many? Abhicara in the Categories of Tantric Ritual 18 Violent and Aggressive Rites in the Vajrabhairava Tantras 20 Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Tantra and Vajravarman’s Commentary 22 The Shingon Goma 23 Yamāntaka: Chief Deity of this Goma 24 Yamāntaka in the Dual Maṇḍala 25 Description of Yamāntaka in this Goma Ritual Manual 26 Five Sections: Deities Evoked 27 Offerings Made in the Shingon Abhicāra Homa 27 Summary 28 References 29
