DUNHUANG MANUSCRIPT S.2585: A TEXTUAL AND INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY ON EARLY MEDIEVAL CHINESE BUDDHIST MEDITATIVE TECHNIQUES AND VISIONARY EXPERIENCES PHRA KIATTISAK PONAMPON QUEENS COLLEGE SUPERVISOR: DR IMRE GALAMBOS ACADEMIC ADVISER: DR ANTONELLO PALUMBO FACULTY OF ASIAN MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE THIS DISSERTATION IS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY IN ASIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES 10 OCTOBER 2018 釋智譽 Phra Kiattisak Ponampon พระเกียรติศักดิ์ กิตฺติปญฺโญ (พนอำพน) (Kittipañño/Kittipanyo Bhikkhu) Queens’ College, University of Cambridge word Count: 23,041 words 2 Declaration Form The following deClaration is required when submitting your MPhil Essay/ MPhil Dissertation/ PhD Progress Examination/ SeCond Year Progress Report (delete as appropriate) under the University’s regulations. Title: Dunhuang Manuscript S.2585: a Textual and Interdisciplinary Study on Early Medieval Chinese Buddhist Meditative Techniques and Visionary Experiences This is my own work and any work by others is appropriately Cited and indiCated by footnotes and bibliography. Both eleCtroniC and hard Copies submitted have identiCal Content. EleCtroniC Copies should be sent to [email protected]. Date: _____________________10 October 2018___________________ Signature: _________________________________________________ Printed Name: ___________Phra Kiattisak Ponampon______________ SidgwiCk Avenue • Cambridge • CB3 9DA • Tel: 01223 335106 • Fax: 01223 335110 3 To Honour my Gurus 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... 6 ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 8 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. 9 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER ONE: DUNHUANG MANUSCRIPT STEIN 2585 ......................................................... 14 CHAPTER TWO: MEDITATIVE TECHNIQUES AND EXPERIENCE IN S.2585 ............................. 29 CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF MEDITATION AND EXPERIENCE IN S.2585 ........................ 45 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................ 56 APPENDIX 1: TEXTS RELATED TO THE GUAN JING .................................................................. 58 APPENDIX 2: PHOTOS OF MANUSCRIPTS .................................................................................. 62 APPENDIX 3: BUDDHA WITHIN & ICONOGRAPHY ................................................................... 65 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 69 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude, and the timely hearing of the Dhamma, the teaching of the Buddha — this is the highest blessing. ~Mahā Maṃgala Sutta~ My wholehearted respeCts should first be paid to the Triple Gem. My sincere respeCts should also be paid to the Most Venerable Phra Mongkolthepmuni (Sod Candasaro Bhikkhu), my Great Guru, who devotes himself to the benefit of all sentient beings. Millions of people including myself have been inspired by his teaChings to study meditation and dediCate ourselves to the benefit of others. My sincere gratitude should be expressed to the Grand Master Khun Yay Mahāratana Upāsikā Chandra Khonnokyoong, a Guru who established a peaCeful monastery. I would like to extend my most profound gratitude to the Most Venerable Kruba Dhammajayo, the founder of the 60th DhammaChai Education Foundation, and to the Most Venerable Luang Por Dhattajīvo who kindly teaChes me the Buddhadhamma. They possess great compassion and have allowed me to pursue my higher education in the UK. I owe a profound debt of gratitude to Most Venerable Phrasudhammayanavidesa (Sudhammo Bhikkhu), a direCtor of the 60th DhammaChai Education Foundation, for Compassionately providing me with a sCholarship to study at Cambridge. I want to thank the Most Venerable Phravidesbhavanadhamma (Virocano Bhikkhu), the Most Venerable Phravidesdhammabhorn (Varapanyo Bhikkhu), Venerable Phramaha Dr SomChai Thānavuddho, Venerable Phrakru Bhavanaviriyakit (L.pee WiChit Phasukavaso), Venerable Sondhaya Suddhabho, and Saṇgha members, lay staffs, and devotees at the DISUK, DIRI members, plus Pa Sai Kasemsook Bhamornsatit, Pi Suchada Pongpan, and Apisit Uthakhamkong, for all their kind support and assistance throughout my studies at Cambridge. I am very grateful to my excellent primary supervisor, Dr Imre Galambos, who eagerly provides me with Constant support and assistance. My sincere gratitude is also extended to Dr 6 Antonello Palumbo, who tirelessly aCts as my great aCademiC advisor. I also thank Dr Elizabeth Guthrie at the University of Otago, for her adviCe, and Dr Jeffrey Kotyk, who has kindly edited my work and offered CritiCal Comments. I thank all the support staff and librarians at the FAMES, Queens College, and the University of Cambridge. Professor Yamabe Nobuyoshi kindly provided me with an opportunity to disCuss meditative praCtiCe and experience in the FG when he was giving a talk at SOAS this year. Associate Professor Dr EriC Greene allowed me to attend a workshop at Yale University. Professor Dr Chen Jinhua, the Frogbear ProjeCt manager, gave me an opportunity to partiCipate and present my research paper at a Winter Programme at DILA, Taiwan. I also thank Dr Sam Van SChaik and Miss Mélodie Doumy, and the IDP ProjeCt, British Library. Furthermore, I would like to thank and refleCt my appreCiation to the following persons for their generosity whiCh allowed me to Carry out my research unhindered: Dr Sopon Kongtes and family, Professor Dr Tongsuang Isarangkul Na Ayudhaya, Dr ChatChai Sribundit, Miss Nitaya Jarungjit, Khun Cherd-Prapis-PatChara-Pojana Maythangkul, Miss Busadee Phusuntisumpun, Mr Charles Yeung, who provided a Glorisun Studentship, Pi Rose, Pi Fan, Pi Nok, Pa Kan, Pa Tim, Pa Sugar, and all those who have supported me during my study in the UK. Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my late parents Poh Prasert and Mae Lan Ponampon, my brother and sister, and all the family and friends who have showed me their loving kindness, encouragement, and support for many years. I shall dediCate everything that I have reCeived for the benefit of all sentient beings. Sabbe pūrentu saṅKappā cando pannaraso yathā Mani jotiraso yathā “May all your wishes be fulfilled, as the moon on the full moon day, or as a luminous crystal sphere.” 7 ABBREVIATIONS • AN: AṅguttaraniKāya (ACCess to Insight) • CJ: Discourse on the Essential Secrets of Meditation (Chan mi yaofa jing 禪祕要法經); T.613 • DDB: Digital DiCtionary of Buddhism • FG: Essence of the Meditation Manual Consisting of Five Gates (Wumen chanjing yaoyong fa 五門禪經要用法); T.619 • GFSJ: Sūtra on the Ocean-LiKe Samādhi of the Visualization of the Buddha (Guanfo sanmei hai jing 觀佛三昧海經); T.643 • GJ: Foshuo guan jing 佛説觀經; T.2914 • GSFF: The seCtion titled “The Method of Visualising the Buddha(s) of the Ten DireCtions” (guan shifang fo fa 觀十方佛法) in S.2585 • MPS: Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra • MPSd: Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, translated by Dharmakṣema (曇無讖) (Da ban niepan jing 大般涅槃經); T.374 (XII) • P: Pelliot chinois ColleCtion • S: Stein ColleCtion • SF : Siwei lüeyao fa 思惟略要法; T.617 • T: Taishō Canon (大正新脩大藏經) • Vism: Path of PurifiCation (Visudhimagga) • YL: Yogalehrbuch • ZJ: Zuo chan sanmei jing 坐禪三昧經; T.614 8 ABSTRACT S.2585 is a signifiCant Dunhuang manusCript, providing various types of Buddhist meditative teChniques. Some teChniques Can be traCed baCk to Central Asia and India, although some teChniques seem to have been developed later. I argue that the vision of buddhas that aCCompanies single-minded Contemplation of the navel as desCribed in S.2585 may refleCt the idea of a “buddha within” denoting the notions of buddha-nature and tathāgatagarbha in some Contexts. I also argue that navel Contemplation beCame an important part of Buddhist meditation praCtiCe in early Chinese Buddhism. Keywords:, buddha-nature, buddha within, buddhadhātu 佛性, buddhānusmṛti, buddha darśana 見佛, dharmakāya 法身, Dunhuang ManusCript, MiCroCosm, Foshuo guan jing 佛說 觀經, navel 齊/臍, nābhi, nianfo sanmei 念佛三昧, S.2585, meditation, middle way, mindfulness, tathāgatagarbha 如來藏, yixin guanqi 一心觀齊 9 INTRODUCTION Introduction The Current popularity of mindfulness training in the UK and around the world may refleCt that Buddhist meditation plays a signifiCant role in Cultivating mindfulness and inner peaCe whiCh is benefiCial not only for traditional monastiC life, but also for laypeople.1 The study of early medieval Chinese Buddhist meditative teChniques in this dissertation provides several signifiCant disCussions relevant not only to traditional Buddhists, but also to sCholars and those who are interested in the types of meditation and the training of mindfulness desCribed in the Dunhuang manusCripts. The present research is based upon my previous work that was presented as an MA dissertation at SOAS.2 My research at SOAS dealt with an examination of several texts that are associated with