Buddhism : Critical Concepts in Religious Studies, Vol. VI

Fig. 3

A CRITICAL TANTRISM

seen~ i1i

top of Mt. Sumeru

Vajrama~i.,-atnaSikhara­

kUlilgUra

scene i

Akanistha Heaven

akani~~hade~~riijasya bhavana

Akani~tha heaven, is actualized for the first time when he descends to the earth
synchronously with Sakyamuni' s attainment of enlightenment (scene ii. ).
The world of reality which has descended to the earth springs up to the top of
Mt. Sumeru in the next moment and disappears from the earth. Here at "the
pavillion with the pinnacle of adamantine jewel" (scene iii.), the world of reality
actualizes itself as the Vajradhatu-mmJ(/ala, viz. the aggregate of five tathagatas
or five families of tathagatas. Only when "the adamantine sphere" as the
aggregate of all the innumerable tathagatas is concretized as the aggregate of
five tathagatas, can we imagine it and make ourselves homologous with is
through the manipulation of symbols.
Here, it must again be noted that this mm;c}ala of the Tattvasamgrahatantra
does not contain any distinctions of brightness and that for us who live on earth
it exists externally. Homogenuity and externality are the two special features of
the maQc}ala of the religion of yo gins or sitting meditators who attempt to unite
themselves with the external absolute through the yogic practice.

ii. The new concept of quick attainment of enlightenment

Having noted this process of the self-development of "the adamantine sphere"

which descends from the Akani~tha heaven to the earth and springs up in the

next moment to the top of Mt. Sumeru just like a ball bounded on the floor, we

may possibly interpret the image of the world of the Tattvasamgraha-tantra in

the same way as we interpreted the world of the Vairocanabhisambodhi-siitra,

attaching importance to our world, Jambudvlpa.

Sakyamuni appeared on the earth as a buddha after completing "all kinds of

difficult deeds" over the period of the three great uncountable aeons. By becoming