Of Lust and Bones: Transformative Experiences in Esoteric Manuals

Transformative experiences are a fundamental aspect of esoteric Buddhism: from performing abhiṣeka, purifying impurities, and merging with a deity, to obtaining enlightenment in this very body, esoteric rituals are meant to enact a process of transformation. To this end, esoteric rituals can be divided into two categories: rituals to achieve Buddhahood, and rituals to obtain worldly benefits (Drakakis, 2011). This presentation focuses on the latter category.

Many esoteric manuals translated into Chinese in the medieval period focus on the invocation of specific deities to have mundane wishes granted. Several of these texts expound practices meant to obtain supernatural powers, some of which are reminiscent of sorcery, such raising the dead or commanding demons (Sørensen, 2011). These manuals usually report detailed instructions on how to create a ritual arena, craft an image of the deity, prepare various offerings, and carry out sundry practices. These texts also list specific rules and warnings that the practitioner must thoroughly follow to ensure that the ritual will be successful. In this regard, there is an important connection between the performance of a specific rite, the divine response it elicits, and the attainment ritual success (siddhi) (Sørensen, 2011).

Because they carefully explain how to obtain practical benefits, esoteric manuals represent an excellent example to understand how transformative experiences can take form within Buddhist ritual. While this topic can be tackled from different angles, in this presentation I will answer two questions: what role do emotions and mental states play during the performance of a ritual? How do physical actions create transformative experiences? Esoteric manuals often explain that specific emotions, feelings, and mental states must be either repressed or harnessed, depending on the situation. As a matter of fact, being able to perfectly master and control one’s emotions is essential for the accomplishment of the ritual. Failure in controlling one’s emotions will cause disastrous consequences. Conversely, harnessing the right feelings will ensure the success of the ritual. Likewise, physical actions, if performed correctly, will bring about amazing results. Esoteric manuals enumerate a variety of techniques that require the ritualist to engage in long and complex activities, such as consecrating the ritual space, procuring disparate items, making offerings, performing mudrās, pronouncing dhāraṇīs, conversing with the deity, and much more. At times, these actions can also take place outside the ritual arena, under the supervision of the god that has been summoned. Normal objects are also transmuted into sacred items, which can be hidden in secret places or ingested, transforming a specific place or the human body into a repository of power. 

This presentation examines an eighth century manual translated by Amoghavajra, the Sādhana of the Great Yakṣiṇī Mother Joy and Priyaṅkara (Da yaochanü Huanximu bing Aizi chengjiufa 大藥叉女歡喜母並愛子成就法), which is centered on the demoness-turned-goddess Hārītī. In this text Hārītī reveals her dhāraṇī, explains how to craft an image of herself, construct an altar in a secret room, and prepare various offerings. The text promises that, if the ritual is performed exactly as indicated, Hārītī will appear and grant disparate benefits, including offspring, safe childbirth, romantic love, and protection from enemies. Because the manual is long and provides an extensive list of instructions and methods, I concentrate on one warning and one technique that encapsulate two strong emotions: lust and fear. The Sādhana of the Great Yakṣiṇī Mother Joy and Priyaṅkara warns the practitioner against developing any impure or lustful thoughts towards Hārītī, or the ritual will fail, and he will be reborn as a demon. While certain classes of demonic creatures such as yakṣiṇīs, yoginīs, and ḍākinīs can become divine lovers or companions, Hārītī remains a chaste goddess. This prohibition reveals that Hārītī is a beautiful and potentially sensual goddess with whom the practitioner could fall in love, but she must be treated as a “mother or a sister.” Repressing love and sexual desire are therefore necessary for the ritual to succeed. 

However, the text allows the ritualist to unleash other strong emotions, such as fear directed at harming one’s enemies. This is not surprising as converted demons, despite being transformed into Buddhist protectors, never completely lose their demonic nature and can help devotees fulfil unwholesome desires (McBride, 2011). One of the most sinister practices listed in the Sādhana of the Great Yakṣiṇī Mother Joy and Priyaṅkara, akin to black magic, is a skull ritual meant to raise a deceased person to make it perform various tasks, including frightening people. According to the text, the skull must be carefully chosen, purified, equipped with a silver tongue, and placed on the altar next to the image of Hārītī. This method, which must be performed in the utmost secrecy, transforms the skull into a powerful tool that the ritualist can hide in their enemy’s home to wreak havoc. In this case, intense emotions such as fear and anger can be harnessed through the ritual. Moreover, the detailed instructions produce a series of transformations, from turning the skull into an empowered item to cursing one’s enemies’ home. 

These two examples taken from the Sādhana of the Great Yakṣiṇī Mother Joy and Priyaṅkara offer a window into how esoteric rituals performed to obtain worldly benefits can bring about transformative experiences. First, these experiences are often dictated by the suppression or the harnessing of strong emotions, especially unwholesome ones like lust and fear. While falling in love with Hārītī will cause the ritual to fail, channeling fear and anger towards one’s enemies can result in amazing accomplishments. Secondly, the different practices listed in the manual, such as the skull ritual, require a series of physical and material actions that also give rise to different processes of empowerment and transformation. In this case, the ritualist, the skull, the target (and their home) all undergo a transformation under the assistance of Hārītī.