
A Buddhist Ritual Manual on Agriculture
Vajratu??asamayakalparaja - Critical Edition
Gergely Hidas(Author)
De Gruyter (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 6. February 2024
Book
Hardback
VII, 145 pages
978-3-11-061765-8 (ISBN)
Description
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.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Berlin/Boston
Germany
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student
Illustrations
5 farbige Abbildungen
5 col. ill.
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
395 gr
ISBN-13
978-3-11-061765-8 (9783110617658)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2019
1st Edition
De Gruyter
€0.00
Available for download

E-Book
09/2019
1st Edition
De Gruyter
€0.00
Available for download
Persons
Gergely Hidas
, British Museum, London.