Ānāpānasmṛti in the Yogalehrbuch: Its Structure and Visualization

• Published in: Religions (Basel, Switzerland ) Vol. 15; no. 10; p. 1209
• Main Author: Abe, Takako
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 04.10.2024
• Subjects: 5th century; Buddhism; Meditation; Mindfulness; Traditions
• ISSN: 2077-1444; 2077-1444
• DOI: 10.3390/rel15101209

The Yogalehrbuch is said to have been established in Central Asia and to have a similar terminology to the Sarvāstivāda. However, the exact background of the relation is yet unknown. This paper discusses two points. First, I examine the structure of ānāpānasmṛti and how the meditative images relate to the descriptions of Abhidharmic texts. The results show that the Yogalehrbuch adopts the steps of the Sarvāstivāda but does not reflect a highly systematized doctrine. The second is a comparison of its unique meditative images (oil, abhiṣeka, the Buddhas of the past, and Maitreya) with two meditation manuals, the Secret Essentials and the Methods of Curing, and two early esoteric sūtras. The results show that the abhiṣeka in the Yogalehrbuch is close to the two meditation manuals, while it represents more the life of Śākyamuni, which is also found in esoteric Buddhism, rather than the healing of illness. However, the Methods of Curing refers to a dhāraṇī similar to those found in two esoteric sūtras. The two sūtras use abhiṣeka as the name of dhāraṇīs, not as meditative images. From the above, it is hypothesized that the Yogalehrbuch was established within a background in which elements of early esoteric Buddhism could be found but had not yet seen the development of dhāraṇīs.