In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Svabhāvapūjā (स्वभावपूजा) refers to “worship of one’s own state of being” which (as a subsection of the Gurumaṇḍala) refers to one of the various rituals typically performed as a part of the larger rites, according to Buddhist teachings followed by the Newah in Nepal, Kathmandu Valley (whose roots can be traced to the Licchavi period, 300-879 CE).—[...] Within the gurumaṇḍala there are two significant subsections. [...] Svabhāvapūjā, which literally means “worship of one’s own state of being”, is where the specific deities of the rite are invoked. This section begins near the beginning of the gurumaṇḍala after the śaṅkha worship. First one’s individualized practices as received from their guru are performed, which are nyāsa, placement of deities on the body, and jāpa, recitation of mantras.

Next an āvāhana, “invocation” of the deities is performed. Next a Svabhāva Śuddhāḥ Kāye, literally “take the purification of one’s on state of being” is performed, which involves reciting a series of mantras which first purifies oneself, and second takes the deities into one’s possession, which can also be seen as being possessed by or embodying the deities. Next a pādārgha, “foot offering”, is placed for the deities. Next all the deities are worshiped by going through a series of maṇḍalas which list the deities and their mantras.

Next the pañcopacāra-pūjā, “the five ritual offerings”, is performed for all the deities. Note there is a short and long version of the pañcopacāra-pūjā, and the longer version is typically performed in the svabhāvapūjā, and the shorter version is performed outside it. Next the aṣṭalāsyā, “the eight dances”, a shorter version of the ṣoḍaśa-lāśyā is performed, along with a stotra to Vajrasattva and the vajrakulas, “the vajra clans”, and a series of mantras for taking up the vajra and ghaṇṭā. Next stotras are recited for all the deities. Finally Tantric offerings are made to all the deities that require them.

This whole [svabhāvapūjā] process of invoking deities, up through making Tantric offerings to them, is a pattern which is repeated many times throughout the entire ritual, each time a set of deities are invoked within their specific sub-rite; but it is within the svabhāvapūjā that they are invoked initially in mass for the first time. It is within the svabhāvapūjā that the blueprint for the most foundational pattern of Newah Buddhist ritual is laid out. It is also within the svabhāvapūjā that the nitya-karma would be performed as a part of the daily larger gurumaṇḍala rite.

context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Puja, Svabhava.

Full-text: Pancopacarapuja, Vajrakula, Svabhava, Pancopacara, Ashtalasya, Ashta, Gurumandala.

Relevant text

No search results for Svabhavapuja, Svabhāvapūjā, Svabhāva-pūjā, Svabhava-puja; (plurals include: Svabhavapujas, Svabhāvapūjās, pūjās, pujas) in any book or story.