Notes on the Guhyasamaja‑Tantra and the Age of the Tantras

Summary

This opening article pays homage to the late scholar Haraprasad Sastri and his outstanding contributions to Buddhist literature in Nepal and Tibet. It begins by describing the Guhyasamāja Tantra—an early Mahāyāna scripture also known as the Astuḥgata‑guhyaka—and situates it within the larger corpus of tantric Buddhist texts. The author discusses how manuscript catalogues, such as those compiled by Bendall and Sastri, identify various recensions of this work and notes that a complete edition had not yet been published at the time of writing. Much of the piece is devoted to comparing quotations from Śāntideva’s Śikṣāsamuccaya with passages in the Guhyasamāja Tantra. These excerpts highlight early Mahāyāna ethics: a bodhisattva is portrayed as one who cultivates bodhicitta, gives up his own welfare for the sake of others, practices patience with the weak and the sick, and performs generous acts such as feeding the hungry and repairing shrines. In contrast, later chapters of the Guhyasamāja and related tantras encourage transgressive rituals such as the eating of flesh—including meat from cows, horses and even human beings—and sexual rites with cāṇḍāla women. The author interprets this shift as evidence of the progressive transformation of Buddhism from a religion emphasising compassion and moral restraint into one that sanctioned antinomian practices in the pursuit of liberation. Throughout the article, the writer carefully parses Sanskrit terminology and cites relevant passages from manuscripts, pointing out textual variations and commenting on their implications for dating the tantras. The discussion situates the Guhyasamāja in its historical context, outlining how different tantric traditions may have developed at various times. By juxtaposing early ethical teachings with later ritualistic instructions, the author raises questions about continuity and innovation in Buddhist thought. He concludes that the Guhyasamāja reflects both an enduring Mahāyāna concern for universal compassion and a later embrace of practices designed to shock the practitioner into non‑dual awareness. This balanced assessment makes the article a key resource for understanding the evolution of tantric Buddhism and its ethical horizon.