Abhisheka
Abhisheka (including Abhisheka, Abhiṣeka , Chinese 灌頂 / 灌顶 , Pinyin guàndǐng ) is a Sanskrit expression comparable to Puja , Yagya and Arati and means: a devotional act; a practiced prayer , rites of passage and / or religious rites or rituals . Within this range of meanings, Abhiṣeka is common to all dharmic beliefs such as B. Hinduism , Buddhismand Jainism in common.
Abhisheka as a ritual
Abhisheka, also called abhishekam, is performed by priests by pouring a libation on the image of the worshiped deity while mantras are chanted. Usually offerings such as milk, yogurt , ghee , honey , panchaamrutam , sesame oil, rose water , sandalwood paste are poured, among other offerings depending on the type of abhisheka that is being performed. This ritual is performed routinely in most Hindu and Jain temples. "Rudraabhisheka" (रुद्राभिषेक) ( Abhisheka of Rudra ) is performed on Shiva lingams .
Hinduism
Abhisheka is the name given to a former Vedic rite in which government officials were anointed, especially heads of state when they came to power or to mark an important event. It is also the bathing ceremony and anointing that is performed on certain holidays for the temple gods.
Indo-Tibetan Buddhism
In the Indo- Tibetan Buddhist tradition, abhisheka can be a method of esoteric transmission , a way of imparting lineage blessings to participants, or it can be an empowerment to begin a particular meditation practice.
Shingon Buddhism
The Abhisheka ritual ( Japanese 灌頂 , kanjō ) in Shingon Buddhism is the initiation ritual that is used to confirm students of esoteric Buddhism that they have now graduated to a higher level of practice. The characters used literally mean “to pour out from the top”, which poetically describes the process of transferring the teachings of the master to the student. The ritual was popular in Tang Dynasty China . Kūkai , the founder of Shingon, studied there extensively before introducing this ritual to the Japanese Buddhist community of that time. A separate initiation ritual exists for the general public, which is called kechien kanjō ( 結 縁 灌頂 ), and symbolizes their initiation to esoteric Buddhism. This ritual is generally only performed on Kōya-san in Wakayama Prefecture in Japan, but can also be performed outside of Japan by qualified masters under appropriate auspices, even if this happens very rarely.
The Shingon ritual uses one of the two mandalas of the two worlds (five Buddhas / five kings of light), depending on the occasion. In esoteric ritual, the esoteric Buddhist teacher takes on the role of teacher (usually the Mahavairocana Buddha) after the student has received the samaya commandments, while the master and student repeat specific mantras in dialogue form taken from esoteric Buddhist sutras. The blindfolded student throws a flower at the built mandala. Where this meets, d. H. with which deity helps determine where the student should focus his devotion on his esoteric path. After that, the student's blindfold is removed and a vajra is placed in his hand.
Famous abhishekas
- Mahaabhishekam performed at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain .
- Mahamastakabhisheka at the Shravanabelagola in Karnataka .
Cultural examples
- In the Mahavairocana Sutra, Mahavairocana Buddha reveals the womb mandala to Vajrasattva and teaches the rituals related to the womb mandala known as and an example of abhisheka .
- Rama was asked to live in the jungle for 14 years, shortly before his abhisheka.
- Rama performed Abhisheka after calling a Jyotirlinga in Rameswaram with the presiding deity Ramalingeshwar.
literature
- Ryuichi Abe: The Weaving of Mantra: Kukai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse. Columbia University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-231-11286-6 .
- Virgilius Ferm: An Encyclopedia of Religion. Philosophical Library, New York 1945, OCLC 263969 .
- Yoshito S. Hakeda: Kūkai and His Major Works. Columbia University Press, 1972, ISBN 0-231-05933-7 .
- Jeremy Hayward: Warrior-King of Shambhala: Remembering Chögyam Trungpa. Wisdom, Boston 2008, ISBN 978-0-86171-546-6 .
Web links
- Why Temples? Sivananda Math., May 3, 1993, archived from the original on June 10, 2007 ; accessed on February 9, 2014 (English).
- Healing Through Yagya / Pooja / Occult. Vivekanand Hospital Yogashram, 2004, archived from the original on March 16, 2010 ; accessed on February 9, 2014 (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Meditation , contemplation , intention, and wishing are inherent in this use of prayer
- ↑ Hayward (2008) p. 114.
- ↑ Abe: The Weaving of Mantra: Kukai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse . 1999, p. ? .
- ↑ Hakeda: Kūkai and His Major Works . 1972, p. 44 .