Compassionate Sacrifice: The Buddhist Incorporation of Vedic Homa Rituals

Abstract

This thesis traces the origins and history of homa in India paying special attention to its Buddhist variations. It compares the Vedic, Hindu, and Buddhist tantric homa rituals and examines similarities and differences between them. Drawing on a wide range of Vedic and tantric scriptures, such as the Ṛg Veda, Atharva Veda, Bṛhadāraṇyaka and Chāndogya Upaniṣads, Matsya and Vāyu Purāṇas, Mahāvairocana Sūtra, Guhyasamāja, Cakrasaṃvara and Hevajra Tantras, this study attempts to establish how much Buddhism has in common with Vedic culture. As anticipated, tantric homa rituals in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions undeniably share the same roots that go back to India’s Vedic and pre-Vedic past.