Cundi (Buddhism)

Chundī
Hanging scroll depicting the eighteen-armed form of Chundi, China, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
SanskritIAST: Cundī
Cuṇḍī
Cundā
Cundavajrī
Saptakoṭibuddhamatṛ
Chinese準提菩薩 (traditional)
准提菩萨 (simplified)
(Pinyin: Zhǔntí Púsà)
準提佛母 (Zhǔntí Fómǔ)
七俱胝佛母 (Qījùzhī Fómǔ)
Japanese准胝観音
準胝観音
準提観音
(Jundei / Juntei Kannon)
准胝仏母 (Juntei / Jundei Butsumo)
七倶胝仏母 (Shichikutei Butsumo)
Korean준제보살
(RR: Junje Bosal)
TagalogKundi
Thaiพระจุนทีโพธิสัตว์
Tibetanསྐུལ་བྱེད་མ
Wylie: skul byed ma
VietnameseChuẩn Đề Bồ tát
Phật Mẫu Chuẩn Đề
Information
Venerated byMahayana, Vajrayana
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Cundī (Sanskrit, IPA: [t͜ɕʊndiː]; Chinese: 準提; pinyin: Zhǔntí; Japanese: Juntei; Tibetan: ལྷ་མོ་སྐུལ་བྱེད་མ།, Wylie: lha mo skul byed ma, THL: lha-mo kül-jé-ma) or Cundā (IPA: [t͜ɕʊndaː]; Ch: 羅馬化) is a female Indian Buddhist deity who remains popular in East Asian Buddhism. In Chinese Buddhism, she is associated with the practice of the well known Cundī dharani, which is performed along with a specific mudra (hand gesture), as well as the use of a circular mirror.[1][2] She is considered to be able to purify negative karma, provide protection, support spiritual practice which allows one to quickly attain Buddhahood.[3]

This deity is also called by various other names and epithets, including Cundavajrī, Saptakoṭi Buddha-bhagavatī ("The Blessed Buddha of the Seventy Million", 七俱胝佛母), "Zhunti Buddha Mother" (準提佛母, Zhǔntí Fómǔ) in Chinese and Saptakoṭibuddhamatṛ ("Mother of Seventy Million Buddhas", though this Sanskrit reconstruction of 佛母 is speculative).[1][2]

Some depictions of Cundī share many iconographic and symbolic elements with another female Buddhist deity, Prajñāpāramitā Devi. As such, some images of these goddesses are difficult to identify.[4][5]

In Tibetan Buddhism she is known by the name Lhamo Cunda, Chunde or Cundi ('Lhamo' in Tibetan is 'Devi' in Sanskrit, a term of veneration meaning 'goddess').[6][7]

  1. ^ a b Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S., eds. (24 November 2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-691-15786-3.
  2. ^ a b Gimello, Robert (2004). "Icon and Incantation: The Goddess Zhunti and the Role of Images in the Occult Buddhism of China". In Images in Asian Religions: Texts and Contexts, ed. Phyllis Granoff and Koichi Shinohara: pp. 71–85.
  3. ^ Shaw, Miranda (2006). Buddhist Goddesses of India, pp. 265–267. Princeton University Press
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Kinnard, Jacob (1999). Imaging Wisdom: Seeing and Knowing in the Art of Indian Buddhism, pp. 114–148. Routledge.
  6. ^ "Who is Lhamo Cundi?". Thekchen Choling. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  7. ^ Zopa, Thubten. "RINJUNG GYATSA volumes 1 and 2 initiations and oral transmissions transmitted by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche" (PDF). Lamayeshe.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.