The mantra that welcomes the disciple into the Buddha's vow at kanjō
Nyūbutsu samaya is a mantra (shingon, the Buddha's words) that expresses "entering within the Buddha's vow." At the kanjō (abhiṣeka), the rite in which an esoteric master transmits the Dharma to a disciple, the ācārya (ajari, the master who transmits the Dharma) forms a mudrā with both hands and recites it while placing the mudrā on the disciple's crown. It is the word that marks a beginning: the disciple receives the Buddha's vow to save all beings and makes it their own path. Byodoji encourages its members and supporters to recite this mantra as well. Please ask the head priest of Byodoji how to recite it.
The Scene of the Kanjō
The Nyūbutsu Samaya Mantra in the Mahāvairocana Sūtra
Nyūbutsu samaya is a mantra that appears in the kanjō scene of the Mahāvairocana Sūtra.
In the Mahāvairocana Sūtra, Mahāvairocana (Dainichi Nyorai, the fundamental buddha of esoteric Buddhism) rises from deep meditation and expounds this "mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya" (nyūbutsu sanmaya jimyō). Jimyō means a mantra. The word samaya in the mantra's name carries four meanings: equality, in which buddha and beings are not separated; the fundamental vow, by which the Buddha never abandons anyone; the removal of obstacles, which clears away delusion; and rousing, which wakes us from the sleep of delusion.
The Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra reads each syllable of the transliterated mantra as "a gate for entering the Dharma-realm."
Reciting a mantra and performing a ritual practice with mudrās and contemplation are two different things. Members and supporters may recite the mantra. The ritual practice is received from an ācārya through kanjō or transmission.
The Buddha abides in the samādhi of the Dharma-realm womb, rises from that samādhi, and expounds it
Translation
At that time the Buddha abode in the samādhi of the Dharma-realm womb-store and, rising from this samādhi, expounded the mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya.
Original text
即於是時住法界胎藏三昧。從此定起、說入佛三昧耶持明。
Commentary
The samādhi of the Dharma-realm womb (hōkai taizō sanmai) is the deep meditation in which Mahāvairocana abides.
Source
Translated by Śubhakarasiṃha and Yixing, *Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (*Daibirushana-jōbutsu-jimben-kaji-kyō*, the Dainichi-kyō), fascicle two, the chapter "Mantras with Full Conditions for Entering the Maṇḍala" (Taishō canon T18n0848)
補助典拠を見る："Mantra-holder" (jimyō) is dhāraṇī, a mantra
Translation
What is called jimyō ("holding the mantra") is in Sanskrit dhāraṇī. "Mantra" means to hold together all the mantra gates and mantra practices and, until this samaya vow is fulfilled, never to let them leak away or be lost. Hence it is named the mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya.
Original text
持明者、梵云陀羅尼。明謂總持一切明門明行、乃至盡此三昧耶誓願以來終不漏失、故名入佛三昧耶持明也。
Source
Expounded by Śubhakarasiṃha and recorded by Yixing, *Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (*Daibirushana-jōbutsu-kyō-sho*, the Dainichikyō-sho), fascicle nine (Taishō canon T39n1796)
補助典拠を見る：Each single syllable is a gate into the Dharma-realm
Translation
Each single syllable is a gate of one kind for entering the Dharma-realm. In "a-saṃ-me" (阿三迷), for example, the syllable a is the gate of the unborn (the originally unarisen), the syllable sa is the gate of non-ultimacy, and the syllable ma is the gate of the great emptiness.
Original text
一一字皆是一種入法界門。如言阿三迷者、阿字是無生門、娑字是無諦門、麼字是大空門也。
Source
Expounded by Śubhakarasiṃha and recorded by Yixing, *Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (Dainichikyō-sho), fascicle seven (Taishō canon T39n1796)
Entering
Entering Where?
One enters the Buddha's vow. "Entering the Buddha" means receiving the Buddha's vow as the ground on which one stands.
The Mahāvairocana Sūtra teaches that the children of the Buddha who hear this mantra "do not transgress or overstep in any dharma." These words describe which way a person goes after receiving kanjō and taking the Buddha's vow as the ground on which to stand. Even so, people still stray and sometimes turn against the vow. That is why the precepts and repentance are taught.
The Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra expresses this as "entering the Buddha's precept of equality and being entrusted to the sacred womb." The sacred womb (seitai) is an image: just as a child in its mother's womb is held and grows, one is held and nurtured within the Buddha's life. "Entering" here means entrusting oneself to the vow the Buddha has already made.
Those who hear it do not transgress or overstep in any dharma
Translation
When this mantra of entering the samaya had been expounded amid the assemblies of all the bodhisattvas in all the buddha-lands, all the children of the Buddha who heard it together came never again to transgress or overstep in any dharma.
Original text
於一切佛剎一切菩薩衆會之中說此入三昧耶明已、諸佛子等同聞是者、於一切法而不違越。
Commentary
Fascicle 9 of the Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra explains the same line as "not daring to transgress or overstep in any mantra dharma." It goes on to list the four marks of transgressing the samaya: views of inequality, a limiting mind, following fame and profit, and idleness and negligence. We read the line as describing the frame of mind kept by one who has made the vow.
Source
*Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (*Daibirushana-jōbutsu-jimben-kaji-kyō*, the Dainichi-kyō), fascicle two (Taishō canon T18n0848)
Entering the Buddha's precept of equality, entrusted to the sacred womb
Translation
He expounds the mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya. By this mantra one is enabled to enter the Buddha's precept of equality; this is the meaning of being entrusted to the sacred womb.
Original text
說入佛三昧耶持明。以此持明得入佛平等戒、即是託聖胎義也。
Source
Expounded by Śubhakarasiṃha and recorded by Yixing, *Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (Dainichikyō-sho), fascicle nine (Taishō canon T39n1796)
The Four Meanings
What Kind of Vow Is Samaya?
The Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra shows in four words how samaya, the Buddha's vow, works.
Expounding the four meanings of samaya
Translation
Samaya means equality; it means the fundamental vow; it means the removal of obstacles; it means rousing and awakening.
Original text
三昧耶是平等義、是本誓義、是除障義、是驚覺義。
Source
Expounded by Śubhakarasiṃha and recorded by Yixing, *Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (Dainichikyō-sho), fascicle nine (Taishō canon T39n1796)
補助典拠を見る：The vajra vow of all the Tathāgatas
Translation
In conclusion: it is called samaya because it roars the lion's roar of certainty, expounding the equality of all dharmas; because it sets up the great vow to make all beings become even as myself; because it seeks to open pure knowledge and vision for all beings everywhere; and because by it all beings and all buddhas are roused and awakened. Therefore this samaya is named the vajra vow and pledge of all the Tathāgatas.
*Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (Dainichikyō-sho), fascicle nine (Taishō canon T39n1796)
One
Equality
Nowhere in body, speech, or mind does the Buddha see anything that divides buddha from beings. The asame ("a-san-mei") of the mantra means "unequaled," and is explained as a word expressing an equality in which better and worse cannot be set up at all.
Two
The Fundamental Vow
The Buddha vows never to rest from the work of guiding all living beings to awakening. Nyūbutsu samaya is the entrance for receiving this fundamental vow.
Three
The Removal of Obstacles
Delusion is a covering that hides the Buddha's mind from view. The removal of obstacles is the working that clears that covering away.
Four
Rousing
Rousing is the working by which the Buddha's words wake us from the sleep of delusion. To receive the Buddha's vow is also to wake in answer to those words.
The Kanjō
What Happens at Kanjō?
Nyūbutsu samaya appears at the moment in the kanjō (abhiṣeka) when the ācārya forms the mudrā, seals the disciple's crown with it, and recites the mantra.
The Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra describes the ācārya visualizing the disciple's body as the body of Mahāvairocana and first sealing the crown with the mudrā of entering the Buddha's samaya. Then other mudrās are placed at the heart and at the navel. The disciple is welcomed into the kanjō as one equal to the Buddha's body.
At kanjō, the body that forms the mudrā, the voice that recites the mantra, and the mind that sees the disciple as the Buddha's body are joined in a single practice. For this reason, nyūbutsu samaya at kanjō is something handed from master to disciple.
Sealing the crown with the mudrā of entering the Buddha's samaya
Translation
Then the ācārya visualizes the disciple's body as the five wheels, maintains it with the five syllables, and further places the syllable a and the rest upon the lotus dais of the heart, making the disciple forthwith identical with the body of Mahāvairocana. With the mudrā of entering the Buddha's samaya he seals the disciple's crown; next, with the dharmadhātu-arising mudrā he seals the heart; and with the dharma-wheel-turning mudrā he seals above the navel wheel, reciting the mantra three times at each.
Expounded by Śubhakarasiṃha and recorded by Yixing, *Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (Dainichikyō-sho), fascicle eight (Taishō canon T39n1796)
The Precepts
What Do the Samaya Precepts Protect?
The samaya precepts (sanmaya-kai) are precepts for living in answer to the Buddha's vow.
The Mahāvairocana Sūtra names four as their root: not abandoning the true Dharma, not abandoning the aspiration for awakening (bodhicitta), not withholding the teaching that suits the other person, and not abandoning the practice of benefiting all living beings. These are called the four grave prohibitions (shijūkin).
In his Catalogue of Newly Imported Sūtras (Go-shōrai mokuroku), Kōbō Daishi Kūkai recorded that the ācārya Huiguo (Keika) first conferred on him the precepts of arousing the aspiration for awakening, and only then permitted him to enter the kanjō hall. Before receiving the esoteric methods, he received the heart that walks in the same direction as the Buddha. In the Shingon school, these precepts of arousing the aspiration for awakening are also called the samaya precepts. This is why the samaya precepts are regarded as the foundation of kanjō.
Nyūbutsu samaya is the word of the one who enters that vow. Turning against the vow afterward is called otsu-samaya (samayātikrama). For those who realize they have turned against it, a path of repentance and renewal is also taught.
Huiguo first conferred the precepts of arousing the aspiration for awakening
Translation
He conferred on me (Kūkai) the precepts of arousing the aspiration for awakening and permitted me to enter the kanjō hall. Entering the altar for the mantra-receiving kanjō happened three times; receiving the rank of ācārya, once.
O child of the Buddha, from this day forth, because you do not begrudge even your body and life: never abandon the true Dharma; never part from the aspiration for awakening; never begrudge any dharma; and do nothing that does not benefit beings. The Buddha expounds the samaya. You who dwell well in the precepts: guard the precepts as you guard your own life.
*Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (*Daibirushana-jōbutsu-jimben-kaji-kyō*, the Dainichi-kyō), fascicle two, the chapter "Mantras with Full Conditions for Entering the Maṇḍala" (Taishō canon T18n0848)
Two Mantras
Two Samaya Mantras, for the Womb and Vajra Realms
The samaya-precept mantra "on sanmaya satoban" and the nyūbutsu samaya mantra are different mantras. The former is recited at the kanjō of the Vajra realm, the latter at the kanjō of the Womb realm.
The mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya appears in the Mahāvairocana Sūtra, the root scripture of the Womb realm. "On sanmaya satoban," by contrast, appears in the kanjō of the Vajraśekhara lineage, and declares to the disciple, "You are the samaya."
Byodoji treats the two as a pair corresponding to the two realms, and encourages its members and supporters to recite both. So as not to confuse them, please learn how to recite them from the head priest. In the standard daily ritual, "on sanmaya satoban" is also recited by the practitioner as the mudrā and mantra of Fugen samaya (Samantabhadra's samaya).
The kanjō mantra that confers the samaya upon the disciple
Translation
He has the disciple form the sattva-vajra mudrā, and does so with this heart-mantra, "samayas tvaṃ" (on sanmaya satoban).
Original text
令弟子結薩埵金剛印、以此心、三摩耶薩怛鑁。
Commentary
In Sanskrit, oṃ samayas tvaṃ. It appears in the kanjō of the Vajraśekhara lineage, at the moment of conferring the samaya on the disciple. The same mantra is handed down in many ritual manuals, including the Kongōchō renge-bu shin nenju giki (T18n0873) and the Mui sanzō zen'yō (T18n0917). Closer to the Sanskrit sound, it is "on samaya satoban."
Source
Translated by Amoghavajra, *Sūtra of the Great King of Teachings, the True Gathering of All Tathāgatas, Realizing the Mahāyāna* (*Kongōchō issai nyorai shinjitsu shō daijō genshō daikyōō kyō*) (Taishō canon T18n0865)
Reciting at Byodoji
Please Ask the Head Priest How to Recite
Byodoji encourages its members and supporters to recite the nyūbutsu samaya mantra together with the samaya-precept mantra.
The sound of a mantra cannot be fully conveyed in writing. If you recite at Byodoji, please ask the head priest about the reading, where to breathe, and how many times to recite. Ritual practice with mudrās and contemplation is received from an ācārya through kanjō or transmission. If you belong to a temple other than Byodoji, please follow the guidance of that temple.
Frequently Asked Questions
References
References and Sources
This article was written by Taniguchi Shinryō, head priest of Byodoji, a temple of the Kōyasan Shingon school, on the basis of the texts and research of Shingon esoteric Buddhism. Quotations from the Chinese translations follow the text of the Taishō canon, and sources are indicated by volume, text number (Tnnnn), and page and register.
Root Scriptures (CBETA)
Translated by Śubhakarasiṃha and Yixing, *Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (*Daibirushana-jōbutsu-jimben-kaji-kyō*, the Dainichi-kyō) (Taishō canon vol. 18, T18n0848). Fascicle 2, the chapter "Mantras with Full Conditions for Entering the Maṇḍala" (the mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya, p. 12c; the verse of the four grave precepts, p. 12b) / fascicle 4, the "Secret Mudrās" chapter (the short form of the mantra, p. 24b) / fascicle 7, "Offering Procedure," chapter on the training of mantra practice (the expanded form of the mantra, p. 47a)
Commentaries (CBETA)
Expounded by Śubhakarasiṃha and recorded by Yixing, *Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (*Daibirushana-jōbutsu-kyō-sho*, the Dainichikyō-sho) (Taishō canon vol. 39, T39n1796). Fascicle 8 (the mudrā of entering the Buddha's samaya at kanjō, p. 661b) / fascicle 7 (syllable glosses of the mantra: each syllable a gate into the Dharma-realm, p. 649c; the mantra dharma-teaching: the gate of the syllable a, p. 651b) / fascicle 9 (the gloss on the mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya and the four meanings of samaya, p. 674c; entering the Buddha's precept of equality and being entrusted to the sacred womb, p. 675b)
Compiled by Bukesiyi, *Commentary on the Offering Sequence of the Mahāvairocana Sūtra* (*Daibirushana-kyō kuyō shidai-hō-sho*) (Taishō canon vol. 39, T39n1797, p. 794c). The mantra gate of entering the Buddha's samaya
Compiled by Jueyuan, *Enmitsu-shō* (Extracts Expounding the Esoteric in the Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra) (Manji Zokuzōkyō vol. 23, X23n0439). Annotations on the mudrā of entering the Buddha's samaya
Ritual Manuals (CBETA)
Translated by Amoghavajra, *Vast Recitation Ritual of the Mahāvairocana Sūtra for Entering the Lotus Womb-Store Ocean Assembly, the Compassion-Born Maṇḍala — the Chapter on Offering Methods* (Taishō canon vol. 18, T18n0851, p. 97a). The expanded form of the mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya
Consecration rituals and name-lists of the Womb (Taizō) lineage (Taishō canon vol. 18, T18n0855, T18n0859, T18n0860). The mudrā, seal, and mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya
Ritual manuals of the Kangiten (Vināyaka) lineage (Taishō canon vol. 21, T21n1205, p. 34c). An example of the spelling 入仏三摩耶 ("nyūbutsu samaya")
Texts of the Samaya Precepts (the sources Kūkai integrated; CBETA / SAT)
Kūkai, *Catalogue of Newly Imported Sūtras* (*Go-shōrai mokuroku*) (Taishō canon vol. 55, T55n2161). The sequence by which he received the precepts of arousing the aspiration for awakening from Huiguo, and afterward received the kanjō
Henjō Kongō (Kūkai), *Sanmaya-kai jo* (Preface to the Samaya Precepts) (Taishō canon vol. 78, T78n2462, pp. 5a–6b). The precept-substance: the pure bodhicitta that is beings' original equality
Translated by Amoghavajra, *Ritual for Receiving the Bodhicitta Precepts* (Taishō canon vol. 18, T18n0915, p. 941a). The five great vows and the mantra of arousing the aspiration for awakening (oṃ bodhicittam utpādayāmi)
Expounded by Śubhakarasiṃha, *Essentials of Dhyāna of Tripiṭaka Master Śubhakarasiṃha* (*Mui Sanzō zen'yō*; full title *The Precept-Receiving Repentance Text of Tripiṭaka Master Śubhakarasiṃha and the Essential Methods of the Dhyāna Gate*) (Taishō canon vol. 18, T18n0917, p. 944a; noted down by Huijing). The threefold pure precepts, the ten grave precepts, and the true-dharma precept (the pure-dharma precept)
The samaya-precept mantra "on sanmaya satoban" (oṃ samayas tvaṃ / 唵三摩耶薩怛鑁) is a kanjō mantra of the Vajraśekhara Sūtra (Vajra realm) lineage. It is distributed across many ritual manuals, beginning with the kanjō sections of the *Sūtra of the Great King of Teachings, the True Gathering of All Tathāgatas, Realizing the Mahāyāna* translated by Amoghavajra (Taishō canon vol. 18, T18n0865, p. 218a) and the *Sūtra of Recitation Abridged from the Vajraśekhara Yoga* translated by Vajrabodhi (same vol., T18n0866, p. 249c), and including the *Ritual for the Mental Recitation of the Lotus Family of the Vajraśekhara* (T18n0873) and the *Essentials of Dhyāna of Tripiṭaka Master Śubhakarasiṃha* (T18n0917). Its Sanskrit basis is the Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha (STTS)
The word and system of the "samaya precepts" are said to have been established by Kūkai, integrating the precept teachings of the *Essentials of Dhyāna of Tripiṭaka Master Śubhakarasiṃha*, the *Ritual for Receiving the Bodhicitta Precepts*, the *Mahāvairocana Sūtra*, and the *Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra*. They also go by the names "precepts of arousing the aspiration for awakening," "buddha-precepts," and "unconditioned precepts" (Kūkai, *Kōnin yuikai*, among others)
Shingon Sources (Shingonshū zensho)
Jōhen, *Hishū mongi yō* (Shingonshū zensho vol. 22, p. 75); Gōhō, *Taizōkai nenju shidai yōshū ki* (same, vol. 25, p. 70). Explanations that the mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya is expounded from the samādhi of the Dharma-realm womb, and that by it one enters the Buddha's precept of equality and is entrusted to the sacred womb
Kangen, *Sanmayakai sahō Hannyaji* (Shingonshū zensho vol. 27, p. 21). Explicitly labeled "the samaya-precept teaching of the Vajra realm"
Shinkaku, *Denbō kanjō mongi kan'yō shō* (Shingonshū zensho vol. 27, pp. 116–117). Places the samaya-precept mantra within the procedure of the Vajra-realm kanjō
Word Glosses of the Mantra
The mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya: namaḥ samanta-buddhānāṃ asame trisame samaye svāhā (the form in the "Full Conditions" chapter)
阿三迷 = asame ("unequaled") / 呾哩三迷 = trisame ("threefold equality"; removal of obstacles) / 三麼曳 = samaye ("samaya"; the fundamental vow). The syllable glosses: a = the gate of the unborn (the originally unarisen), sa = the gate of non-ultimacy, ma = the gate of the great emptiness (Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra, fascicle 7)
Expanded form (the "Secret Mudrās" chapter): namaḥ sarva-tathāgatebhyaḥ viśva-mukhebhyaḥ oṃ asame trisame samaye svāhā
Sanskrit and Tibetan
No continuous Sanskrit text of the mantra survives, the Sanskrit manuscript of the Mahāvairocana Sūtra having been lost (absent from GRETIL and elsewhere). It is reconstructed from the Chinese transliterations and the glosses of the Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra. samayas tvam is actually found in the Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha (GRETIL)
Tibetan correspondence: sangs rgyas kyi dam tshig la 'jug pa ("entering the samaya [dam tshig] of all the buddhas"). The Mahāvairocana Sūtra lineage (Kangyur, Toh 494)
Dictionaries and Studies
Tanaka Chiaki, "Understanding the Sanmaya-kai jo" (Mikkyō bunka, No. 120, 1977, pp. 1–9). A reading of the Sanmaya-kai jo
Yamao Yūshō, "An Essay on the Theory of the Precept-Substance of the Samaya Precepts: What Qualifies a Shingon Practitioner?" (Chizan gakuhō, No. 71, 2022, pp. 195–213). The precept-substance is bodhicitta; the mantra of entering the Buddha's samaya and the Samantabhadra samaya mantra are taken as the originating causes of the Womb and Vajra realms respectively
*Seisen-ban Nihon kokugo daijiten* (Shōgakukan), entry "sanmaya-kai." The dictionary has no entry for "nyūbutsu sanmaya"; the gloss follows the Commentary on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra
Research Infrastructure
Original-text searches and collation of the base texts were carried out with the buddha CLI (eight corpora: CBETA, SAT, Tipitaka, GRETIL, SARIT, MUKTABODHA, the Complete Works of the Jōdo School, and Adarsha / BUDA); every quotation was collated word by word
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Articles for learning more about samaya and the Buddha's vow.
