. mudrā, mantra, mandala 85
the Buddha and perhaps, eventually, replicate his nirvana.^34 With the
development of the Mahāyāna a new set of vows developed, and prac-
titioners, in emulation of the great buddhas and bodhisattvas of the
Mahāyāna scriptures, themselves took bodhisattva vows.^35 Although
vowing to behave as bodhisattvas and to become buddhas, the deploy-
ment of advanced supernormal powers was viewed by most practi-
tioners as something available to the great bodhisattvas and buddhas
of the scriptures, not to the ordinary person. But in the process of
abhiṣeka, as described in the Mahāvairocanābhisaṃbodhi sūtra, the
initiate takes further samaya vows.^36
These vows—to uphold the true teaching, to uphold the seed of
enlightenment, to share the Buddhist teachings, and to avoid harming
sentient beings—are unremarkable in the context of Mahāyāna Bud-
dhism. But in the context of abhiṣeka they signify a dramatic transfor-
mation.^37 The vows are whispered in the ear of the candidate as he or
she first prepares to enter the mandala. While blindfolded, the aspirant
tosses a flower onto the mandala to establish a karmic affinity with
a particular deity of the mandala. The blindfold is removed and the
aspirant then glimpses the mandala for the first time. On the follow-
ing day the initiate will begin the process of learning how to visualize
the deities of the mandala—usually Mahāvairocana and Vajrasattva.
Thus, the process of abhiṣeka, of which there are three progressively
advanced levels, marks entry into intensive study and ritual practice.^38
The abhiṣeka ritual itself reenacts the enlightenment of the Siddhartha
(^34) For an overview see Prebish 1975, 1–10.
(^35) Nattier, 2003, 147–151 has a convenient overview of the bodhisattva vows.
(^36) For a brief discussion of the role of vows in esoteric Buddhism see Davidson,
“Abhiseka,” in this volume. Abé 1999, 133–149 provides a fine-grained and lucid ̣
description of the processes of abhiṣeka as set out in the Mahāvairocanābhisaṃbodhi
sūtra and the Sarvatathāgata-tattva-saṃgraha (STTS) (Jin’gangding yuqie zhong lue qu
nian song jing , T. 866). This text, translated by Vajrabodhi
in 720 is one of the sources of the Vajradhatū mandala. See Orzech, “Vajrabodhi,”
and “Esoteric Buddhism in the Tang: From Atikūta to Amoghavajra (651–780),” in ̣
this volume.
(^37) The vows are the subject of passages in the Mahāvairocanābhisaṃbodhi sūtra
and in the Commentary. See, for instance, T. 848:5b–6c, 42b5–42c4, and T. 1796.39:629c7–
630a12, 661c3, 666c22. Also see Abé 1999, 43, 53–54, 134. 38
The levels of abhiṣeka are the initial level that establishes a karmic bond between
the disciple and a divinity of the mandala (jieyuan guanding ), the second
level of studying the teaching (xuefa guanding ), and finally that which qual-
ifies one to transmit the teaching (chuanjiao guanding ). Each ritual marks a
beginning of intensive study. See Śubhākarasiṃha’s Commentary, T. 1796.39:613a–c,
617a, 625a, 674c–675a.