འཕགས་པ་མ་ཏག་བརྩགས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་གཟངས intro: 84000's introduction
The Dhāraṇī “Heap of Flowers” intro
- Language
- English
84000's introduction
intro.1
The text comprises a teaching given by the Buddha Śākyamuni to the bodhisattva Siṃhavikrīḍita in response to his question: what kind of merit does one gain by worshiping the Tathāgata? The Buddha addresses the question by stating that the merits of the awakened ones are limitless, thus any merit accrued by worshiping them, whether face to face or in the form of a caitya, is also limitless. What truly matters is the worshiper’s mental attitude. He then continues by teaching a dhāraṇī accompanied by a short practice and describes its benefits.
intro.2
The Dhāraṇī “Heap of Flowers” is a text that has had considerable influence. In India, it was quoted by Śāntideva and his followers; in China, it was preserved in at least four translations; and in Tibet it has been popular since the Imperial Period.
intro.3
The dhāraṇī and the discourse that frames it is delivered by Buddha Śākyamuni at Lake Anavatapta, prompted by a question from the bodhisattva Siṃhavikrīḍita who wishes to know what amount of merit is gained by worshiping a buddha. The Buddha replies by slightly rebuking Siṃhavikrīḍita: since the qualities of the buddhas are endless, so too is the merit gained by worshiping them. Moreover, it does not matter whether those buddhas are directly present in reality or are present in the form of a caitya containing a small relic. Nor does it matter how precious the offering is (although a long list of appropriate offerings is provided). What truly matters is the positive mental attitude of the worshiper, both when making the offering and after the act. After this discourse, the Buddha teaches the dhāraṇī meant to enhance the act of worship, and explains its benefits.
intro.4
We have not been able to find the original Sanskrit text in its entirety, but large and significant parts are preserved in Śāntideva’s Śikṣāsamuccaya (Toh 3940) and Prajñākaramati’s Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā (Toh 3872).
intro.5
The Tibetan translation is recorded in the imperial catalogs¹ and we know of at least one fragment from the Dunhuang manuscript hoard, which was copied on the back of a Chinese scroll that contained a translation of the Diamond Sūtra (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā).² In the Degé Kangyur, the text is included in both the Tantra section (Toh 516)³ and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (Toh 886).⁴ ⁵ The translators are not identified in these sources, but according to Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub, 1290–1364), the dhāraṇī was translated by the well-known Tibetan scholar-monk, Yeshé Dé (ye shes sde).⁶
intro.6
The earliest of the four Chinese translations is 華積陀羅尼神呪經 (Taisho 1356, Huaji tuoluoni shenzhou jing), which is said to be the work of Zhi Qian and held to be of venerable antiquity (ca. 220–30 ce), but this attribution seems to be quite doubtful.⁷ This Chinese version is quite close to the Tibetan translation. The next two Chinese translations, 師子奮迅菩薩所問經 (Shizi fenxun pusa suowen jing, Taisho 1357) and 花聚陀羅尼呪經 (Huaju tuoluoni zhou jing, Taisho 1358), are the works of unknown translators from around the fourth or fifth century. The latest of the Chinese translations, 花積樓閣陀羅尼經 (Huaji louge tuoluoni jing, Taisho 1359), is the work of the famous Dānapāla, whose prolific output was sponsored by the Northern Song court around the turn of the first millennium.
intro.7
This English translation was made principally on the basis of the Tibetan translations of the text found in the Tantra Collection (rgyud ’bum) and the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus) in the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the Stok Palace Kangyur and the Dunhuang fragment.