TANTRIC BUDDHISM (INCLUDING CHINA AND JAPAN)precarious character of Tantric Buddhism paradoxically exposed in the Samvara
Tantrism. The Samvara Tantrism became precarious when it replaced improp-
erly or too hastily the Mahiiyanic practice of going on pilgrim to external pl{has
(biihyapltha) with the yogic practice of internal pl{has (adhyiitmapltha). Both of
the two antithetical elements of Tantric Buddhism, viz. Mahiiyanic idea of accu-
mulating merits and Tantric logic of yoga were indispensable for the dialectical
development ofTantric Buddhism itself. Tantric Buddhism was destined to keep
walking along the sharp ridge composed of these two elements being urged by a
sense of crisis. Replacing the Mahiiyiinic practice of pilgrimage, which together
with the Tantric practice of sexual yoga with the group of five cjiikin/s represen-
ted by the inner circle of the Samvara-matJ¢ala, constitutes the Samvara
Tantrism itself with another Tantric practice of internal plthas, the Samvara
Tantrism lost its own religious vitality caused by the consciousness of the
'crisis'.
In the following chapters of this article, I would like to substantiate the 'crit-
ical' or precarious character of Tantric Buddhism I have thus sketched out so as
to have my image of Tantric Buddhism as 'critical' or precarious critically
examined.
II. The world view of the Vairocaniibhisambodhi-siitrai. The image of the world of Vairocana
An image of the world of the tathiigata Vairocana ( ~li:~ml, 7c 8 "WJ*) in the
Vairocaniibhisambodhi-siitra can be constructed from the scene of the mystical
drama at the introductory section of the first chapter of the siitra. The Tibetan
version of the siitra states:
"Thus have I heard at one time. The Reverend Lord (Vairocana) dwelt
together with vajradharas (holders of adamantine wisdom, ~~1'4tl) to
be counted by the number of dusts of ten buddha-countries, such as
'Sky-spotless' vajradhara ( ~~~t'§~~l'/4tl), 'Walking-in-the-sky'
vajradhara (~~:iUE~tl\~fliiJ), 'Appearing-from-the-sky' vajradhara,
(b!JZ~~iii\~1\'liJ, ... and VajrapiifJi, the chief of gulujakas (5F1Htf::E~I\'AiJ=.f ),
in the vast, huge palace of the grand admantine sphere of the reality
(7c~l'/l1Jr!JF.'g") resided in by (all the) tathiigatas. This grand palace
named 'King-jewel' had become visible as it had been imagined by
tathiigatas as having neither a centre nor a boundary, and immense
height, and being decorated very beautifully with king-jewels. He dwelt
sitting on the lion-throne though he was assuming the appearance of a
bodhisattva.
He, being surrounded and faced by the people straining after enlight-
enment (bodhisattva =&Iii), the great people (mahiisattva )lJ'jiiJi\i), such
as Samantabhadra (tf'Ji), Maitreya (~ffi~), Maiijusrl (:::l'aUi!ifU),