113bC4l

6
-
iddhas, Literature, and Language
Thus have I heard. At one time,
the Lord was residing in the
vaginas of the women who are the
adamantine body, speech, mind,
and heart of all the Tathagatas.
Evam maya$rutam | ekasmin
samaye bhagavan sarvatathagatakayavakcitta-hrdayavajrayosidbhagesu
vijahara ||
Now, having clearly explained the succinct meaning of this introductory
statement of the Guhyasamaja-tantra, I will hereafter interpret it according
to the oral instruction of the Acaryas. So, the letter E means the
sacramental seal [samayamudra]. The letter vam indicates the great seal
[mahamudra]. As for ma, it is the Dharma seal, and ya is the action seal
[karmamudra]. %rutam provides the sense of commitment. Or again, the
letter E means . . .
—Vilasavajra, %ri Guhyasamajatantra-nidana-gurupade$ana-vyakhyana. 1
reating their ideological ground between the grand, feudalized institutions
of orthodox esoterism and the emerging and sometimes agonistic
religious and political landscape of the early medieval period, Buddhist
siddhas formulated literature that reflected their own concerns. These issues,
however, were as diverse as the siddhas themselves. While some siddhas were
absorbed in scriptural composition, others were obsessed with its domestication
and inclusion into the monastic syllabi, with selected individuals pursuing
both tasks. Yet the obstacles to curriculum inclusion were among the most formidable
any emerging Buddhist system had ever faced. As the opening of the
Guhyasamaja above indicates, siddhas developed new forms of scripture that
depicted an erotized Buddha at the center of a retinue of beguiling damsels.
Siddhas also included in their pantheon tribal and local goddesses, murderous
blood-drinking gods, and a host of illicit characters, from ghosts to snakes.