UC Berkeley

The Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Tantra (SDP), or Purification of All Negative Rebirths, is a Buddhist yoga tantra that has long been associated with funerary practice in multiple Buddhist cultures. However, when it comes to ritual practice, the tantra itself, as with most canonical tantras, does not give practical guidance. Rather, this task falls to the genres of local ritual manuals and handbooks that have grown up around the text and evolved over the centuries. This dissertation examines several such manuals, drawn from two separate traditions where the SDP has been important: Tibetan texts from Dunhuang, and bilingual Newari-Sanskrit texts from the Kathmandu Valley. Since they originate from very different historical contexts, the aim is not to compare them with one another, but rather to consider the diverse range of ritual traditions that have developed with the SDP as their basis. In doing so, this dissertation shows that, rather than drawing on funerary elements alone, Buddhist tantric funerary rites in these traditions make use of the same basic tantric technology central to yoga tantra in general, including initiation and sādhana techniques. So too, it argues that the adaptability of the text relates to its capacity to combine with other types of Buddhist tantric ritual technology, a quality that may also contribute to its widespread popularity and remarkable longevity.

Part One focuses on a Tibetan initiation manual from Dunhuang that may be used for the living or dead. It proposes a re-ordering of the manuscript and a reading of the text as a coherent whole centering on the SDP maṇḍala and incorporating two others. Notable, in particular, is the relative lack of customization in the text and the absence of any particular focus on the deceased's consciousness. Part Two examines Newari-Sanskrit manuals of the 19th century, in particular, ones that combine the SDP tradition with the practice of utkrānti, an advanced technique that involves recalling the deceased's consciousness to their body, performing initiations, and finally directing the consciousness to depart again via the crown of the head, in order to ensure a good rebirth. Finally, Part Two provides new material for the study of Newar Buddhism, an area that has received comparatively little attention. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of the SDP tradition and brings into conversation differing Buddhist tantric funerary practices on its basis. It also takes a closer look at the genre of ritual manuals, and considers the relationship between localization, levels of detail, and pragmatic needs of ritualists.