Tibetan and Mongolian Works on Benefits of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra: System of Characters and Their Functions
https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2020-47-1-122-132
Abstract
Introduction. The Vajracchedikā (or Diamond) Sūtra, one of the Mahāyāna Prajñāpāramitā works, was composed by the 4th century AD. Its widespread occurrence facilitated the creation of another work — a collection of 15 stories — promoting the worship of this Buddhist religious text. Such stories are common enough in the literary traditions of China, Tibet, and Mongolia. Goals. The article mainly focuses on character types and their roles in Tibetan and Mongolian works on benefits derived from reading the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā. Methods and Materials. The paper analyzes Tibetan and Mongolian manuscripts and woodblock prints contained in collections of Russia, Mongolia, and the United States. The structural method proved fundamental to the text analysis conducted. Results. The study generates a number of conclusions. The characters of these stories are definitely determined by respective spatial and temporal categories. The narratives include no explicit indications of time and whereabouts of events depicted, which makes it unimportant where and when the latter actually took place — and those become essentially timeless and spaceless. And either are all characters of the stories that emerge without any detailed physical or psychological qualities. It should be noted that the praise of the Vajracchedikā is so cosmic that the sūtra is reported most revered not only by humans but also by Buddhas, deities, and beings of the underworld. Conclusions. The structural analysis of the character system delineates two groups of images — central and secondary ones — serving as ‘functions’ (sets of actions or features) aimed to facilitate that the Vajracchedikā be recited and revered sacred. The typology of the investigated plots is as follows: a principal character gets into trouble or faces immense hardship, and further through reciting or copying the Vajracchedikā gets relieved from suffering. Minor characters, one way or another, help the former turn to the Diamond Sūtra.
About the Author
Alina A. Gribkova
St. Petersburg State University, Faculty of Asian and African Studies
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Postgraduate Student
7/9, Universitetskaya Emb., St. Petersburg 199034, Russian Federation
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Review
For citations:
Gribkova A.A. Tibetan and Mongolian Works on Benefits of the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra: System of Characters and Their Functions. Oriental Studies. 2020;13(1):122-132. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2020-47-1-122-132
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