84 charles d. orzech and henrik h. sørensensecrets” the coordinated ritual use of mudrā, mantra, and mandala
are already well established in the Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha of the mid-
seventh century.^29
By the time Śubhākarasiṃha translated Mahāvairocanābhisaṃbodhi
sūtra (Da Piluzhe’na chengfo shenbian jiachi jing
T. 848)^30 in 724–725 a fully integrated ritual system struc-
tured around abhiṣeka and “the unified three secrets” of body, speech,
and mind is in place, codified in the devices of mudrā, mantra, and
mandala.^31 Śubhākarasiṃha, straightforwardly reaffirms the connec-
tion between the three modes of action and the three secrets, “The
three modes of action are simply the three secrets, and the three secrets
are simply the three modes of action. The three bodies are simply the
wisdom of tathāgata Mahāvairocana.”^32 The key difference between
Zhiyi’s position and that found in the Mahāvairocanābhisaṃbodhi
sūtra is the use of a kind of mimetic ritual technology—that of mudrā,
mantra, and mandala.^33
It is possible that these developments were related to the develop-
ment of samaya vows (sanmeiye jie ). The taking of vows—
the triple refuge in the Buddha, in his teaching or Dharma, and in the
community or Sangha—is one of the earliest institutional forms of the
Buddhist movement. It marks the aspiration to follow the teaching of(^29) For instance, the first fascicle of the text delineates fully elaborated ritual
sequences including an integrated practice of mudrā (including instructions on how
to intertwine the fingers), mantra, contemplation, image and altar construction, and
sequences of worship that are hardly distinguishable from those of texts appearing
more than a century later. T. 901.18:785b–804c. for a breakdown and preliminary
analysis of the scripture see Davidson forthcoming b.
(^30) Translated by Śubhākarasiṃha with the help of Yixing (683–727). For fur-
ther information consult Pinte, “Śubhākarasiṃha,” Keyworth, “Yixing,” and Orzech,
“Esoteric Buddhism in the Tang: From Atikūta to Amoghavajra (651–780),” all in this ̣
volume. The English translation in Hodge 2003 is a good place to start in the study
of the text. 31
“Sons of the Buddha, listen well! One who is of my clan and abides in the vows
unifies body speech, and mind.” 32 T. 848.18:6a28–29.
Zunsheng foding zhenyan xiu yuqiefa guiyi T. 973.19:
380a25–26). The three bodies mentioned here are the dharmakāya, samboghakāya,
and nirmāṇakāya.
(^33) The similarity—and the difference—between Zhiyi and Śubhākarasiṃha on this
topic is apparent in the latter’s discussion of body speech and mind as the “three
universal” realities shared with the buddha and their realization in the integrated
performance of mudrā, the recitation of mantra, and the “exquite contemplation” of
mandala. The discussion is found in Śubhākarasiṃha’s and Yixing’s Da Piluzhena
chengfo jing su [Commentary on the Mahāvairocana sūtra]
T. 1796.39:583a13–24.