The satanic verses of Buddhism: An apology of the antinomian tradition in the commentary of Bhavyakīrti I
Abstract
In this paper I further develop a short note from my 2012 thesis which discussed a brief apology of the antinomian-transgressive Buddhist tantric tradition. I start with a general introduction meant for the non-specialist reader, charting the paradigm shifts within Buddhism from its earliest days up to the rise of the transgressive tantric tradition. I then discuss the author, Bhavyakīrti: I argue that there were at least two authors writing under this name and that our Bhavyakīrti (I) was most likely active in the ninth century. His *Vīramanoramā, a commentary on the Herukābhidhāna, lost in the original Sanskrit, thus probably reflects concerns of the early exegetes of the antinomian tradition. In the next chapter, I give an annotated translation of the apologetical passage in question; this is followed by some reflections on selected terms (mārabhāṣita, kaula) and statements. The paper closes with an appendix containing a critical edition of the Tibetan translation of the passage in question.
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