[INDOLOGY] The universe as an image in a mirror

[Matthew Kapstein]

Dear Harry,


The image is definitely widespread in Buddhist materials, both tantric and non-tantric. One of the five aspects of the Buddha's gnosis (pañcajñāna) is "mirror-like gnosis" (ādarśajñāna), in which, according to the ca. 4th century

Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra (Bodhyadhikāra)

all that is knowable is reflected. I am sorry that I do not have the time at my disposal to identify additionalsources for you, but the famous article by Paul Demiéville,

« Le miroir spirituel », Sinologica, I, 2, Basel, 1947,, pp. 112-137,

may prove helpful (I do not recall now whether he considers only Chinese materials there or includes Buddhist canonical sources).


Given the intertextuality between later Indian Buddhism and Kashmir Saivism, it is not surprising that the metaphor would be found in the latter sources as well.


hope this helps to get you started,

Matthew


Matthew Kapstein
Directeur d'études,
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes

Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
The University of Chicago
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From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> on behalf of Harry Spier via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
Sent: Sunday, September 2, 2018 9:50:11 PM
To: Indology
Subject: [INDOLOGY] The universe as an image in a mirror

The first verse of the Dakṣināmūrtistotram is:

viśvaṁ darpaṇa-dṛśyamāna-nagarī-tulyaṁ nijāntar-gataṁ

paśyann-ātmani māyayā bahir ivodbhutaṁ yathā nidrayā

yaḥ sākṣāt kurute prabodha-samaye svātmanam evādvayaṁ

tasmai śri-guru-mūrtaye nama idaṁ śri-dakṣināmūrtaye


One of the reasons Amarhath Rai in his article "The Daksinamurti Hymn and the Manasollasa published in Vol. 6 of The Journal of Oriental Research, Madras, 1932 gives for rejecting Sankaracarya as the author is  the metaphor in the first verse of the world as an image in a mirror.

Does  this metaphor of the world as an image in a mirror only appear in Kashmir Shaivite writings or does it occur in  the writings of other religous or philosophical schools.

Thanks,

Harry Spier






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