The Abhiṣekanirukti in the context of Buddhist tantric literature: Conceptual features and functional usage of the treatise

Abstract

The publication is focused on the Abhiṣekanirukti, a Buddhist tantric treatise of the eleventh century composed by Sujayaśrīgupta. The treatise is viewed in the context of Indian Buddhist Tantric literature and ritual practice. In the scope of this study the main conceptual features of the treatise are exposed. Sujayaśrīgupta is identified as a proponent of the view that the classical Mahāyāna (‘the path of perfections’, pāramitānaya) and Vajrayāna, the tantric form of Mahāyāna (‘the path of mantras’, mantranaya), are different in their methods (naya), but not in the goal. The affiliation of Sujayaśrīguta to the classical Yogācāra school of Mahāyāna philosophy and to the Jñānapāda school of Guhyasamājatantra exegesis is identified. Additionally, the author proposes a hypothesis about the title and makes an assumption concerning a plausible functional usage of this Buddhist work.