Recitation of the Guṇakāraṇḍavyūha Sutra at the Nagarjuna Institute of Buddhist Studies

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The manuscript shown here is a beautiful version of the Guṇakāraṇḍavyūha, one of the most sacred texts for Nepalese Buddhists. This text, preserved by ALL's partner in Nepal, the Nagarjuna Institute of Buddhist Studies (NIBS), is considered by Buddhists an embodiment of wisdom and compassion. Pushpa Vajracharya, a member of NIBS' preservation team, recites from a page of the text in this video, bringing its significant contents to life. • The text narrates the marvelous adventures of Avalokiteśvara traveling to different realms and taking countless forms to meet the unique needs of each sentient being who remembers his name. Avalokiteśvara takes the shape of a bee in Varanasi and buzzes the refuge prayer to other insects; he teaches dharma to the Lord of Death; he becomes an asura to teach the asuras in like fashion; he descends into Avici to alleviate the denizens of the lowest hell; he visits the city of hungry ghosts and rains down as ambrosia to nurture these desperate beings; he appears as a flying horse to rescue merchants trapped in an island by demons, and so on. • The Guṇakāraṇḍavyūha (GKV) reproduces in verse the content of the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, a text known for being the source of the six-syllable mantra (oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ). Contemporary scholars believe the GKV was written down in Nepal somewhere around the 15th century. The GKVt also includes a large amount of verses from the Bodhicaryāvatāra and a number of verses praising the Poṣadha vrata, a fasting vow linked to Amoghapāśa (a form of Avalokiteśvara popular in Nepal). • In the GKV, as in other important works of Mahāyāna literature, Avalokiteśvara is portrayed as a sort of wish-fulfilling jewel. He is able to take any form that is helpful as a result of having realized emptiness. Out of compassion he emanates a myriad forms, at times even taking on the shape of Śiva, Viṣṇu, and other brahmanical deities. • Our collaboration with NIBS aims to preserve the most significant Buddhist literature of Nepal. We believe that the ideas contained in these texts are essential for the well-being of future generations. Support our mission at: https://asianlegacylibrary.org/

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