Hayagriva: Horse Cult in Asia

by Robert van Gulik

Overview

Growing interest in tantric Buddhism worldwide has resulted in an explosion of literature on the subject; despite this, there still remain many voids in our understanding of this complex practice, with its proliferation of gods and saints, bodhisattvas and demons.

R. H. van Gulik was one of the pioneer Western scholars of the tantric deities, having completed a highly acclaimed doctorate on the subject of the tantric god, Hayagriva, in 1935, with the dissertation upon which this book was based. Soon out of print, it seems that no monograph has since been published on the subject, despite the relatively frequent occurrence of the ‘The Horse-Headed One’ both in Buddhist practice and in religious painting and sculptured images, across Asia.

In Hayagriva: Horse Cult in Asia, van Gulik traces the evolution and migration of the god, from its ancient roots in Hindu belief, through its adoption into the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, and the subsequent migration of its cult westward, through Mongolia and China to Japan. In this long journey, Hayagriva interacted with indigenous, pre-Buddhist horse cults and assumed various attributes as a result, ranging from a deity who conferred fertility, to protector of the faithful from demons, to mythical winged navigator of the vast northern plains.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789745241565
Publisher:	Orchid Press Publishing Limited
Publication date:	02/01/2018
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	122
Product dimensions:	6.69(w) x 9.61(h) x 0.26(d)

About the Author

Robert van Gulik (1910-1967) was a diplomat and author. He is best known for his series of historical mysteries featuring Judge Dee, inspired by an 18th-Century Chinese detective novel. His first original novel was completed in 1950, the book was titled The Chinese Maze Murders. In all he would write over a dozen Judge Dee novels.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER I: MAHAYANIC GODS

CHAPTER II: HAYAGRIVA IN INDIA

1. Hayagriva in Hinduism

2. Hayagriva in Buddhism

3. Iconographical Survey

A. Hayagriva as a single god

B. Hayagriva as a secondary god

CHAPTER III: HAYAGRIVA IN CHINA

1. Horse-cult before the introduction of Buddhism

2. The Buddhist Hayagriva

3. Hayagriva in the Chinese Canon

A . The reading of the magic formulae

B. The mystic gestures of the hands

C. Shorter references

D. The longer text of the T’o-lo-ni-chi-ching

CHAPTER IV: HAYAGRIVA IN JAPAN

1. Horse-cult before the introduction of Buddhism

2. The Buddhist Hayagriva

3. Hayagriva in the Japanese Canon

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS

ENDNOTES

INDEX