Manjushri-nama-samgiti
Encyclopedia
The Mañjuśrī-Nāma-Saṃgīti. (hereafter, Nama-samgiti) is considered amongst the most advanced teachings given by the Shakyamuni Buddha. It represents the pinnacle of all Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings, being a tantra
of the nondual (advaya) class, along with the Kalachakra Tantra.
The Nama-samgiti was preached by Shakyamuni Buddha for his disciple Vajrapani
and his wrathful retinue in order to lead them into buddhahood
. The essence of the Nama-samgiti is that Manjushri bodhisattva is the embodiment of all knowledge. The Nama-samgiti is a short text, only circa 160 verses and a prose section. It is a fraction of the vast Sutras
such as Avatamsaka Sutra
and Prajñāpāramitā Sutras or the endless ocean of tantras such as manjushri-mula-kalpa and the mountainous Hinayana
teachings and sea of sundry extra-canonical works. And yet, the Nama-samgiti contains all of the Buddha's dharmas. It summarizes everything he taught. As Shakyamuni Buddha says of the Nama-samgiti, it is "the chief clarification of words". It is the "nondual reality". Therefore all sentient beings should definitely study and recite the manjushri-nama-samgiti.
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
of the nondual (advaya) class, along with the Kalachakra Tantra.
The Nama-samgiti was preached by Shakyamuni Buddha for his disciple Vajrapani
Vajrapani
' is one of the earliest bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of the Buddha, and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapani was used extensively in Buddhist iconography as one of the three protective deities surrounding the Buddha...
and his wrathful retinue in order to lead them into buddhahood
Buddhahood
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
. The essence of the Nama-samgiti is that Manjushri bodhisattva is the embodiment of all knowledge. The Nama-samgiti is a short text, only circa 160 verses and a prose section. It is a fraction of the vast Sutras
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
such as Avatamsaka Sutra
Avatamsaka Sutra
The is one of the most influential Mahayana sutras of East Asian Buddhism. The title is rendered in English as Flower Garland Sutra, Flower Adornment Sutra, or Flower Ornament Scripture....
and Prajñāpāramitā Sutras or the endless ocean of tantras such as manjushri-mula-kalpa and the mountainous Hinayana
Hinayana
Hīnayāna is a Sanskrit and Pāli term literally meaning: the "Inferior Vehicle", "Deficient Vehicle", the "Abandoned Vehicle", or the "Defective Vehicle". The term appeared around the 1st or 2nd century....
teachings and sea of sundry extra-canonical works. And yet, the Nama-samgiti contains all of the Buddha's dharmas. It summarizes everything he taught. As Shakyamuni Buddha says of the Nama-samgiti, it is "the chief clarification of words". It is the "nondual reality". Therefore all sentient beings should definitely study and recite the manjushri-nama-samgiti.
Alternative titles
- "manjushrijnanasattvasya-paramartha-namasamgiti" (full Sanskrit title) lit. "The chanting of the names of Manjushri , the embodiment of supreme knowledge"
- Āryamañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti ཨཱརྱ་མཉྫུ་ཤྲཱི་ནཱ་མ་སཾ་གི་ཏི
Further reading
- Davidson, Ronald M. (1981) The Litany of Names of Manjushri - Text and Translation of the Manjushri-nama-samgiti, in Strickmann (ed.) Tantric and Taoist Studies (R.A. Stein Festschrift), Brussels: Institut Belge des Hautes Etudes Chinoises (Melanges Chinois et Bouddhiques, vol. XX-XXI) 1981
- Wayman, Alex (1985), Chanting the Names of Mañjuśrī: The Mañjuśrī-Nāma-Saṃgīti, Shambhala, 1985. [Reprint Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi 2006. ISBN 812081653]
- Lāl, Banārasī (1986) Āryamañjuśrī-nāma-saṃgīti:A Text-Analysis in Dhīḥ 1 1986 p. 220–238
External links
- A Concert of Names of Manjushri (Manjushri-namasamgiti) translated from the Tibetan, as clarified by the Sanskrit ~ Alexander Berzin, 2004
- Manjusrinamasamgiti - GRETIL Transliterated Sanskrit text based on the edition by Janardan Shastri Pandey in Bauddhastotrasamgraha
- Manjusrinamasamgiti - GRETIL Transliterated Sanskrit text based on: Davidson, R. M.: The Litany of Names of Manjusri.