Removal of Sins in Esoteric Buddhist Rituals: A Study of the Dafangdeng Dhāraṇī Scripture

Abstract

This chapter discusses a distinctive approach to the removal of sins that appears in the stream of Buddhism we call 'Esoteric' Buddhism. The idea that the recitation of spells, typically called dhara?is , results in the removal of sins is mentioned frequently in Esoteric Buddhist scriptures. Sins in this context are understood as the karmic residue of evil deeds committed in the course of an innumerable number of past lives. The chapter offers a case study of the challenges that resulted when dhāraṇī recitation came to take the place of other normative Buddhist practices as the means to eradicate sin and achieve salvation. It focuses on one scripture in detail, the Dafangdeng tuoluoni jing . It also reviews the early sources on dhāraṇī practice that are preserved in Chinese translation. The specific scenario for removal of sins just described appears repeatedly in these sources. Keywords: Dafangdeng tuoluoni jing ; dhāraṇī ; Esoteric Buddhism; sins