A Buddhist Ritual Manual on Agriculture : Vajratuṇḍasamayakalparāja – Critical Edition

Open Access This volume is the first in-depth study of a recently discovered Sanskrit dharani spell text from around the 5th century CE surviving in two palm-leaf and three paper manuscript compendia from Nepal. This rare Buddhist scripture focuses on the ritual practice of thaumaturgic weather control for successful agriculture through overpowering mythical Nagas. Traditionally, these serpentine beings are held responsible for the amount of rainfall. The six chapters of the Vajratundasamayakalparaja present the vidyadhara spell-master as a ritualist who uses mandalas, mudras and other techniques to gain mastery over the Nagas and thus control the rains. By subjugating the Nagas, favourable weather and good crops are guaranteed. This links this incantation tradition to economic power and the securing of worldly support for the Buddhist community.

This volume is the first in-depth study of a recently discovered Sanskrit dharani spell text from around the 5th century CE surviving in two palm-leaf and three paper manuscript compendia from Nepal. This rare Buddhist scripture focuses on the ritual practice of thaumaturgic weather control for successful agriculture through overpowering mythical Nagas. Traditionally, these serpentine beings are held responsible for the amount of rainfall. The six chapters of the Vajratundasamayakalparaja present the vidyadhara spell-master as a ritualist who uses mandalas, mudras and other techniques to gain mastery over the Nagas and thus control the rains. By subjugating the Nagas, favourable weather and good crops are guaranteed. This links this incantation tradition to economic power and the securing of worldly support for the Buddhist community.

"This volume is the first in-depth study of the Vajratuṇḍasamayakalparāja, a hitherto unpublished scripture of Buddhist dhāraṇī literature, surviving in five Nepalese manuscripts. This rare Sanskrit text from around the fifth century focuses on the ritual practice of thaumaturgic weather control for successful agriculture by the vidyādhara spell-master officiant through overpowering Nāgas, mythical serpentine beings traditionally held responsible for rainfall. This agricultural application links this incantation tradition to economic power and the securing of worldly support for the Buddhist community"--Back cover A hitherto unpublished scripture of Buddhist dharani literature, the Vajratu??asamayakalpar?ja has been recently discovered in five Nepalese manuscripts. This rare Sanskrit text from around the fifth century focuses on the ritual practice of thaumaturgic weather control for successful agriculture by the vidyadhara spell-master, linking the incantation tradition to the economic power of the Nepalese Buddhist community. Acknowledgements 5 Contents 7 Introduction 9 Edition and translation 45 References 139 Index 145