Tradition and innovation in late South Asian Buddhism: the impact of spell practices on the recasting of Prajnaparamita scriptures

Bianchini, F

Thesis

Tradition and innovation in late South Asian Buddhism: the impact of spell practices on the recasting of Prajnaparamita scriptures

Abstract:: The present study explores the later phase of Prajñāpāramitā scriptural production (ca. 8th-12th C), with special emphasis on South Asian sources. These scriptural sources, usually extremely concise, include materials also found in earlier strata of Prajñāpāramitā writing, but also add spells (dhāraṇīs), as well as occasional references to practices linked with mature esoteric Buddhism.

This study looks at such connections in detail, outlining the ways in which Prajñāpāramitā interacted with other Buddhist traditions in this period - being shaped by them, but also shaping them in return. Attention is also given to extant Sanskrit manuscripts, and occasionally to available epigraphical and art-historical materials.

It is argued that the switch to a new scriptural format partly affected textual dissemination. For example, the primary sources often occur in composite manuscripts along with various dhāraṇī works.

While spell practices are often associated with mundane benefits, such as e.g. curing diseases, the primary sources show a remarkable emphasis on less immediate results, such as the attainment of after-life states and conditions seen as conducive to spiritual awakening.

As for issues of affiliation, the primary sources maintain important links with earlier Prajñāpāramitā writing. However, such links mainly take the form of inserted stock-phrases and lists.

Perhaps the most innovative trait is the occasional appearance of mature esoteric features. However, their presence shows an awareness of current esoteric trends, rather than a full endorsement of them. Complex dynamics of borrowing and cross-reference can be detected, which ultimately might have been beneficial to both traditionalists and innovators within the late Mahāyāna cultural milieu.

In this study, Prajñāpāramitā emerges as a dynamic and adaptable tradition which helped shape the character of Mahāyāna Buddhism between the 8th and 12th Centuries and beyond.

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APA Style

Bianchini, F. (2020). Tradition and innovation in late South Asian Buddhism: the impact of spell practices on the recasting of Prajnaparamita scriptures [PhD thesis]. University of Oxford.

MLA Style

Bianchini, F. Tradition and Innovation in Late South Asian Buddhism: the Impact of Spell Practices on the Recasting of Prajnaparamita Scriptures. University of Oxford, 2020.

Chicago Style

Bianchini, F. 2020. “Tradition and Innovation in Late South Asian Buddhism: the Impact of Spell Practices on the Recasting of Prajnaparamita Scriptures.” PhD thesis, University of Oxford.
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