The present study proposes that the goddesses Sarasvatī and Śrī appear in the Sutra of Golden Light (Suvarṇaprabhāsottama sūtra, 金光 明經, ca. early fifth century CE) as exemplars of the relationship of female deities to bodhisattvahood, dhāraṇī bestowal, and developments in deity invocation via mantra-based rituals. The goddesses demonstrate agency as Mahāyāna practitioners (i.e., bodhisattvas) who work on behalf of…
Tag: ritual
Death Ritual Polemics: Bo dong Paṇ chen and Go rams pa on the Funerary Practices of the Sarvadurgatipariśodhana tantra
The Sarvadurgatipariśodhana tantra (SDP) has informed Tibetan Buddhist funerary practices since it was first translated into Tibetan in the late eighth century. One of its most influential interpreters was the Sa skya pa hierarch Rje btsun Grags pa rgyal mtshan (1147– 1216), whose Light Rays for the Benefit of Others: The Rituals of Sarvavid offers detailed instructions for performing the…