The Āryamañjuśrīmūlakalpa (The Noble Root Manual of the Rites of Mañjuśrī) is a Mahāyāna sūtra and a Mantrayāna ritual manual (kalpa) affiliated with the bodhisattva of wisdom, Mañjuśrī. In Tibetan Buddhism it is classified as a Kriyā-tantra.[1][2][3][4] According to Sanderson (2009: 129) and the study by Matsunaga (1985), the text is datable to about 775 CE.[5][6]
The Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa is often cited as the earliest example of an extant Indian Buddhist Tantra. Some scholars identify it as a compilation of a core verse text dated circa 6th century CE with later accretions and additions.[2] The Sanskrit version, significantly longer than its corresponding Chinese and Tibetan renderings, is still extant.[2]
The Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa states that mantras taught in the Shaiva, Garuda and Vaishnava tantras will be effective if applied by Buddhists since they were all taught originally by Mañjuśrī.[7] The attribution to Mañjuśrī is an attempt by its author(s) to counter the objection that the teachings in this text are of non-Buddhist origin.[7]
The bulk of the text deals with chants and mantras useful for spiritual purposes as well as material gain. Some chapters discuss fierce and sexual tantric rituals.[8]
The editio princeps of the mixed Sanskrit text was published by T. Ganapati Sastri in three volumes (Trivandrum, published 1920, 1923, and 1925 respectively).[9][10]
Rahul Sankrityayana's edition appeared in 1934.[11] Ganapati Sastri's edition with some modifications was reprinted by P. L. Vaidya in 1964.[12][13]
An English translation was published online in 2020 by the 84000 organization.[14]
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