Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text provides a ritual manual for performing circumambulation through the specific method of chanting the names of Mañjuśrī. The work instructs the practitioner to integrate physical action with mental visualization, specifically requiring the cultivation of divine pride—the identification of the self with the deity Mañjuśrī. The procedure involves preparatory physical purifications of the space, such as the use of fragrant water, and the establishment of visual supports. The text commits the reader to a holistic practice that combines the recitation of names with traditional Buddhist devotional acts, including the recollection of the Three Jewels, the offering of heart-emanated substances, and the recitation of specific homage verses. By linking the physical act of walking with internal visualization and merit-making, the text aims to transform a simple circumambulation into a comprehensive spiritual exercise designed to cultivate virtue and wisdom.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual guide for performing circumambulation through the chanting of names, the mtshan yang dag par brjod pa'i bskor ba bya ba'i thabs/ is a treatise attributed to the Indian author Mañjuśrīmitra. This work is preserved within the classical Tibetan tradition in the Tengyur, specifically volume ངུ, where it is situated within the Yoga Tantra Treatises collection and spans three pages. The text enacts a meditative process that integrates physical movement with mental visualization, instructing the practitioner to maintain the divine pride of being Mañjuśrī. It details a sequence of preparatory actions, including the sprinkling of fragrant water and the establishment of visual supports, alongside devotional practices such as the recollection of the Three Jewels, the offering of heart-emanated substances, and the recitation of twenty verses of homage. Scholars and serious readers consult this treatise to understand the specific intersection of physical circumambulation and internal visualization, as well as the methods used to cultivate the roots of virtue through confession and rejoicing within the context of the Yoga Tantras.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “The Practice of Circumambulation according to “The Recitation of the Names of Mañjuśrī”” (Toh 2553), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2553
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work illustrates the integration of deity yoga and mantra recitation within the physical ritual of circumambulation. It is significant for demonstrating how Tibetan Buddhist practice synthesizes external offerings and internal visualization to achieve a specific spiritual result.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Preparatory Rituals and Visualization
Instructions on maintaining divine pride, purifying the ground, and setting up visual supports for the practice.
2
Devotional Practices
Guidelines for recollecting the Three Jewels, making heart-emanated offerings, and reciting homage verses.
Themes
Divine Pride (1)
Circumambulation (1)
Recollection of the Three Jewels (2)
Cultivation of Virtue (2)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaThe Practice of Circumambulation according to “The Recitation of the Names of Mañjuśrī”·
Homage to the noble Mañjuśrī! A practitioner endowed with faith who wishes to perform circumambulation by means of the Chanting of the Names should maintain the divine pride of being Mañjuśrī. Having smeared the ground and sprinkled it with fragrant water, they should set out supports for visualization such as images. In that very place, they should visualize a white lotus with various petals and branches arising from the syllable Hrīḥ. In its center, upon a lion throne and a moon disc, they should behold the nirmāṇakāya Vairocana Śākyamuni, with the mudrā of teaching the Dharma, golden in color, and adorned with the major and minor marks. To his right is Mañjuśrī, white in color like snow strewn with saffron, abiding in the gesture of supreme generosity. To his left is Avalokiteśvara, like the sun rising over a snow mountain, abiding in a majestic posture while bestowing nectar upon sentient beings. In front is Vajrapāṇi, the color of lapis lazuli, with his right hand holding a vajra at his heart and his left in the gesture of peace. Surrounding him are the Buddhas of the ten directions, and beyond them, the bodhisattvas numbering nine hundred and ninety-six. On the outer rim, they should behold the noble arhats. Generating faith in them and prostrating, they should perform circumambulation while reciting the names or the mantra garland of the wisdom being. They should continue such circumambulation for as long as they are able.
Sit in the presence of those Sugatas and practice the recollection of the Buddha, the recollection of the Dharma, and the recollection of the Saṅgha. Make offerings emanated from the heart, offer praise with the twenty verses of homage, and extensively cultivate the roots of virtue through the confession of misdeeds, rejoicing, and so forth. Then, imagine that light rays emanate from their hearts, circle you to the right, and dissolve into your own heart. Through the blessing of this visualization, the obscurations of karma and afflictions are purified, and you should contemplate your body as being like the moon in water. Dedicate the merit of having performed such virtue toward great, perfect enlightenment, and then meditate on them as vanishing from view. This concludes the method for performing circumambulation according to the Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti, composed by the master Mañjuśrīmitra.
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.