Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragment provides a technical guide for the physical preparation of a ritual space dedicated to the Maṇḍala of the Chanting of the Names (Nāmasaṃgīti) of Mañjuśrī. The text functions as a sequential ritual manual, prescribing precise material requirements and preparatory actions to ensure the purity and stability of the site. It instructs the practitioner to create a foundation using a mixture of ground precious gems and sandalwood water on smooth earth, while explicitly mandating the removal of living organisms to avoid harm. By detailing the specific depth of the excavation and the composition of the surface, the text commits the reader to a rigorous standard of material precision, suggesting that the efficacy of the subsequent Mañjuśrī recitation is contingent upon the correct physical configuration of the sacred environment.
Provenance
About this text
A sequential ritual manual for the Maṇḍala of the Chanting of the Names (Nāmasaṃgīti), this work belongs to the ritual genre of the Yoga Tantra Treatises. It is attributed to the Indian author Mañjuśrīmitra. Preserved in the classical Tibetan tradition, the text appears in volume ངུ of the Tengyur. The work enacts the physical preparation of a ritual space, prescribing the use of sandalwood water and ground precious gems to create a foundation on smooth earth. It mandates the removal of living organisms and specifies the depth and material composition of the surface to ensure the site is properly configured. A scholar or serious reader consults this one-page fragment today to understand the rigorous material precision required for the establishment of a sacred environment, where the efficacy of the Mañjuśrī recitation is contingent upon the correct physical preparation of the ground.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “An Arrangement of the Maṇḍala Ritual of “The Recitation of the Names of Mañjuśrī”” (Toh 2552), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2552
Summary & commentary
Significance
The text illustrates the intersection of material culture and soteriological practice in Indo-Tibetan ritualism. It highlights the importance of the Maṇḍala as a physical manifestation of the deity's environment, where the purity of the ground reflects the purity of the mental state required for the Nāmasaṃgīti.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Preparatory Ritual Instructions
Instructions for the physical preparation of the ground, including material composition and the removal of living beings.
Themes
Ritual Purity (1)
Materiality of the Maṇḍala (1)
Non-violence (Ahimsa) (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaAn Arrangement of the Maṇḍala Ritual of “The Recitation of the Names of Mañjuśrī”·
Homage to the noble Mañjuśrī!
The Sequential Ritual for the Maṇḍala of the Chanting of the Names (Nāmasaṃgīti)
On a smooth piece of earth, grind the five kinds of precious gems and mix them with sandalwood water. Remove any living organisms and compact the surface. Dig it to a depth of one cubit and smear it with silver, stone paste, or similar materials. Shape it so that its surface is as clear as a mirror. Then, arrange the heaps of wisdom-flowers (jñānapuṣpa) in a beautiful and orderly manner, saying "Sva-ratna-maṇḍalaye." Having made it fragrant, bless the necessary requisites, the heaps of flowers, the lotus seats, and so forth, and offer them together with the seats.
The Ritual for the Maṇḍala of the Chanting of the Names, composed by the master Mañjuśrīmitra, is complete.
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.