ritual manual

This concertina manuscript is incomplete at the beginning and end and contains several lacunae.325contains two more sections of the same manuscript. The following is a tentative reorganization of the manuscript:

RECTO: [missing beginning]-[Rf.5v-6r]-[missing]-Rf.1r-1v-[325Arecto]-Rf.2r-4v-[missing]-Rf.5r-[missing]-Rf.6v-8v-[325Brecto]

VERSO: [325Bverso]-Vf.1r-3r-[missing]-Vf.4v-[missing]-Vf.5r-7v-[325Averso]-Vf.8r-8v-[missing]-[Vf.3v-4r]

As the title states, this extensive ritual concerns the four activities (spyod lam rnam bzhi) and thegtor maoffered to the ten directions. Three of the standard four activities appear in these fragments (though here the termspyod lam bzhireplaces the more commonlas rnam bzhi). The missing activity (increasing,rgyasin Tibetan) was probably present on one of the missing sections. The text begins with invitation prayers. Our manuscript begins with an invitation to gods and demons, followed by a fire ritual (sbyin bsregs) and agtor maoffering. Then there is a short practice for binding a person into servitude (compareIOL Tib J 419/6). This would appear to correspond to the activity of overpowering (dbang). The practice involves the visualization of union with a "vajra messenger" (rdo rje pho nya).

Following this there is a (very fragmentary) passage on the visualization of amaṇḍalaof the five buddhas at the five places of the body, beginning withVairocanaat the crown of the head (Rf.5v). After the visualization of the five buddhas there is a self-visualization asVajrapāṇi(Rf.8r), in order to subdue obstructing forces, using an ivoryphur bu. The rite involves drawing a four-corneredmaṇḍalausing crematory ashes (dur khrod kyi thal ba). This appears to correspond to one of the four activities, namely wrathful (drag) activity. The rite continues with a section on protecting oneself from illness (beginning on325Brectoand concluding onVf.1r). This is stated to be the peaceful (zhi ba) practice, one of the standard four activities. The concluding part of the rite contains instructions for protecting oneself and thesamayaof the practice.

prayers

This prayer appears to have been added on the verso of the concertina, after the conclusion of the ritual manual above. The prayer invites the mundane protectors of the teachings, beginning withBrahmaand continuing with many Hindu deities. As inIOL Tib J 316/1the prayer usually appears at the beginning of a collection of prayers. Here however, the ritual manual above includes its own invitation prayers.

References