On the mandala carved on boards in
Tang
period-China
Shunsho
Manabe
Manda means "essence" or "quintessence," and la means "to get". Then mandala means "to get the essence," It is "the essence itself" and "what is equipped
with all the dharmas". It is the world that expressed the domain of the Enli-ghtenment. The essence in this case is the essence of the supreme
Enlighten-ment that is unparalleledly excellent. It is a question how to obtain or concretize the domain of the essence-Enlightenment. The esoteric Buddhism used the theory
of the Vairocana-sutra and the Tattvasarhgraha to express the secret domain of the Enlightenment. The adherent tried to punch the technique of the depiction of mandala ever pushing forward to the macrocosmos by obtaining the five colours in the expression of the divinities and by establishing the borders in the five colors of each compartment in the process of constructing the mandala Some lovely personifying power seems to be in manda. A mandala is a plane, but looking at it closely, it becomes a solid body, and it looks like a living being full of blood. The relative conception of the seer (ascetic) and the side looked at (the manda) is nurtured with the idea of life in the secret world through the secret rite. To speak in other words, the place where oneself lives is an absolute plane. That is pregnant with the life of oneself (world-view) and is the space itself. When one soars up in the sky to ascertain the place and looks down upon oneself, it can be called the present existence mandala by fixing the position of the eyes that look down. There is a fundamental mandala that moves around oneself. Looking closely the plaine of the painting, it is pleni Indey the virtue of happiness and wisdom. There rule the three mysteries of body-mouth-mind perfectly.
The perfection includes all the bodily, linguistic and spiritual activities. It does not exist at all apart from the cosmic domain. The enlightenment that
-965-(20) On the mandala carved on boards in T'ang period-China (S. Manabe) signifies the essence is the symbolic system of Mahavairocana-Buddha. Let us receive the sentiment on the body. Each and every thing in the universe can not be apart from Buddha. The cosmos itself is
Mahavairocana-Buddha. The three mysteries of Mahavairocana-Buddha pervade in the three times (past, present and future) and in all the directions. The perfection of the three mysteries can be understood by innumerable Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the mandala. Not only sacred figures but also many symbols are there to make the mandala full of significance. Kukai classified the mandala into the follow-ing categories: The maha-mandala is the Genzu-mandala, the pair of mandalas that we can usually see (1) It is expressed in painting just as the sanskrit bija (seed-letter) mandala (2) The symbolification of the theory is the equality-mandala (Samayaequality-mandala) (3) There are many specimens in painting and art-craft ob jects1). (4) The action mandala is called the karma-mandala which
is represented in three-dimensional sculpture.
This classification is made from the form of expression. Three kinds of the mandala is classified by the faculty of the divinities. (1) General assembly mandala is the assembly of the divinities with Mahavairocana-Buddha in the center, that is, the pair of mandalas. (2) Assembly of the divinities in the Buddha Section, Lotus Section and Diamond Section. (3) Mandala of a particular divinity. It is called one part mandala. It is composed of the unique divinity as the central sacred one. There are many mandalas of particular divinities in Japan. The appellation of the section nandala (2) is not used these days. It is shown in chapter 4 of the Commentary of the Vairocana Sutra. There is an interpretation that many other divinities help Mahavairocana to let many sen-tient beings to reach the universal aspect. Though the mandala includes in itself a fundamental reality that is derived from the origin, the reciprocal relation of the divinities is in an unspeakable condition. The essential meaning of the man-dala is that it is the place where all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas assemble. Supposing that Mahavairocana-Buddha is something that has a life and that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are the multitude, the composition of the pair of mandalas consists of Garbha-mandala2) that is the life in the east and
Vajra-dhatu-mandala that is the life in the west. An adjustment is made with the
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term of advaita (non-dualism) in the category of the life. There is a plane of an absolute truth of equality i. e. the life that transcends relative differentiation. From our point of view, the radial Garbha-mandala and geometric Vajradhatu are very similar to the construction of living being in the present day cities. The mandala is not a particular narrow place of enlightenment attained only by Sakyamuni, but where all the men have possibility (seed) of enlightenment to be developed to the highest degree. Looking from other points the senti-ment retained in mind is sva-bhava (inherent) mandala. The highest possible energy of man inherent in the svabhava mandala is Enlightenment. It is the highest combustion of the most purified energy. The mandala was translated an altar in old period in China, and "perfectly round" or an assembly in later period. I imagine a scene of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas assembling on a sacred altar.
The mandala had originally an altar in the center, but it was integrated as the time elapsed. A mandala appeared in the Ichiji-buccho-rinno-kyo (Ekaksara-Buddhospisacakravartiraja-Sutra). It is related in it that there existed mandalas in painting in India in the period of Vajrabodhi and Subhakarasirhha. But they are no longer existent.
(I) A pair of mandalas carved on boards3) each 26.9cm X 20.3cm and 0.8cm thick owned by Kongobuji. This Garbha-mandala belongs to the lineage of the Genzu Garbha-mandala, but it is not exactly the same. The biggest difference from the Genzu is that the right and left sides of the central quarter with the eightpetalled lotus are not three threefold fold but twofold, that is to say, there lack the quarters of Sarvanivaranabhiskambhin and the quarter of Ksitigarbha. The sacred ones in the quarter of universal wisdom, quarter of Vajrapani, quar-ter of Sakyamuni and quarquar-ter of manjusri are so minute here and though they are crowned, they put on monastic robes with the right shoulder bare, remin-ding a figure of bhiksu, while in Genzu mandala they are adorned with per-sonal ornaments and attributes just as Bodhisattvas. The number of the sacred ones in the outermost quarter are not so numerous as in the Genzu and they are not so minute. The demon-face (Kirtimukha) in the Makara-torana are con-spicuously big. The Bhadraghatas have not round waist as in the ordinary
ma-ndalas and their position is in the f our corners of the outermost quarter. The form of this mandala is older than in the Genzu-mandala prevalent in Japan. The va jradhatu-mandala has a regular geometric figuration as in the Genzu-mandala. Each figures of the sacred ones and the samaya-attributes are so small that they are indistinguishable. The Tathagata in the Ekamudra which is slightly bigger is as slender as the wooden Akasagarbhas preserved in Toji monastery, indicating in its style later T'ang period rather than flourishing T'ang period. It is inferior to the superb technique of the portable shrine of Kongobuji mo-nastery. These two mandalas are small but specimens of T'ang China. They are valuable as materials for studying the mandala. The pair are enshrined in the niche painted with black lacquer dating f ram the Muromachi period. Formerly they were preserved in Kozanji, Koyasan, but were transfered to Risho-gokoku-ji at the foot of the mountain in the era of Kyoho. Later they were owned by Myooin, Koyasan. Now they are owned by Kongobuji.
(II) Garbha-mandala carved on a wooden board3) (Wooden block for printing) owned by Kongobuji 19.3cm X 15.1cm. Just as the wooden carved. mandala mentioned above it was made as a wooden block for printing. The handle was cut off in Japan and an inscription was written on it in the Kamakura period. The style is similar to the former one represented with lines in sketch. It was to be used for printing. The earring of each sacred one is the same as in the one mentioned above. The peculiarity of this mandala is that a pagvda is in the center at the bottom and 4 double storied pavillions are in the bottom. After the mandala was transmitted to Japan, they made a niche to contain it in the Heian period. They made a mandala drawing of seeds of the Vajradhatu-maha mandala, thereby making them into a pair of mandalas, Buddhist drawings printed on paper with wooden block were discovered in Tun-huang in the we-stern-most part of China. The afore-mentioned piece and this wooden block responded to the demand of such Buddhist drawings. However, there are no traces that they were actually used in the printings.
(III) The Garbha-mandala carved on wooden board3) (wooden block for prin-ting) 19. 3cm X 16. 3cm, Kongobuji. This is a wooden block for printing the Garbhamandala. The figures of sacred ones are represented with outline only
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just as in a line-drawing and a handle is made at the back of the wooden block. So it can be supposed to be a wooden block for printing4). The figura-tion is the same as in an ordinary Genzu-mandala. But the outermost quarter has less number of sacred ones. The Makara-torana is simplified and the pillars are represented with lines only. The figures of the sacred ones are sketchy, omitting the mudra and attributes.
The ground is represented with eight-petalled floral pattern on oblique lattices. The biggest characteristic of this mandala is that five Vidyarajas are aligned in all the lower portion below the genzu mandala (in the almost same size as in the Central Mahavairocana). This Garbha mandala was transfered from China in the late T'ang period. So a box was made in Japan in the Heian period to fix it and painted Vajradhatu mandala on black lacquer ground.
1) A pair of. mandalas in gilt bronze. Mantokuji monastery, Nunokawa, Tone-chO, Kitasoma-gun, Ibaraki-ken. 108.3cm long by 57.3cm wide, the Kamakura period. Patterns in the inner compartments of the pair of mandalas are made of nine thin plates in gilt bronze jointed lengthwise and sideways.
The circumference is decorated with carving of poeny and arabesque patterns on thin metal plates. The vajradhatu is divided into nine mandalas with nine thin plates. Each plate is pressed with Buddha figures and a vase. The contour line is made with a chisel from the surface and the ground is shredded with dots. Three rows on three ranges are combined sideways with hinges enabling them to bend. The lengthwise combination and the margin, one fixed with studs or with rings by making holes. The circumference in the inner part is carved with Hosoge pattern with the following inscription in four places:
"Shorakuji monastery, Sedaka, Chikugo province, Chinzei, Japan the 13th June, the 5 th year of Kenkyu (1194) Wizher Keiben, Artisan Enji Fujiwara." The metal plate in the circumference was added later. It is not gilt. The outer margin is bent in thin part and all the surface is incised with peony and ara-besque pattern.
2) The garbha mandala is made similarly but lacks a portion of the margin. The mandala is a picture of the world of the Buddhas based on the Tattvasa-rhgraha and the Mahavairocana-sutra. It was transmitted to our own country
by Kukai. There are many mandalas painted on silk and paper. There are also carving on wooden board and paintings on wooden board. But a carving on gilt bronze plate is rare indeed. The pair are peculiar just as the pair of bija mandala on gilt bronze owned by Daigoji. They are the products in those days when various kinds of mandalas were made since the Fujiwara period down to the Kamakura period. The material of the thin metal plate, and the techni-que of Kebori and nanako show the delicate characteristics of the Fu jiwara period that are common with the crown of the 5 Buddhas for the abhiseka and the metal work of the cover of the scripture owned by Jingoji. The ex-tant hinge was added later and does not enable to fold them in small parts. According to an inscription it was originally in Shorakuji monastery in Chikugo province. The writer Keiben ordered Enji Fujiwara to make it. Though the workmanship is simple, the chisel is of good taste. Because the date and the manufacture are inscribed, this piece is valuable as a material.
3) Chikyo Yamamoto: Hiho-Koyasan, pl. 257-260.
4) Important cultural treasure A pair of mandalas in bronze Kamakura period 13th century. 'Garbha mandala 107.3cm X 91.6cm, Vajradhatu mandala 108.3cm X 92.0cm A wooden board covered with a bronze plate surmounted with circular plates in white copper incised with bija letters of the divinities of mandala. Thsse are very rare pair of mandalas. Only the bija letter of Mahavairocana-Buddha of the Ekamudra mandala in the Vajradhatu mandala is sticked in a thick gilt bronze plate, the lotus seat below being incised. Only the nine divi-nities in the quarter of the eight-petalled lotus are represented in gilt bronze plate in the Garbha mandala.
The surrounding part is sown in nanako and is adorned with Hosoge pattern in gilt bronze. The back is pasted with black lacquer and gold leaf is pressed on it. The traces of coloured chalk remain.
The pair of mandalas have been handed down intact. It is traditionally said that Reverend Gihan (1023-1088) ordered it to be made in Enkoin monastery, but the actual date of the production goes down to the Kamakura period, judging
from the style and technique. (昭 和56年 度 総 合 研 究(A) の研 究 成 果 の一 部)
(Head Curator, Kanazawa-Bunko Museum.)
