Magical words and textual amulets: Some thoughts on apotropaic practices in early Indian Buddhism

The Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig and the Institute for Indology and Central Asian Studies cordially invite you to this exciting guest lecture.

Abstract

Apotropaic texts are meant to provide protection and to ward off disease, danger, and any kind of calamity. A significant feature of these texts is the fact that they were not only preserved and handed down, but were actually used in ritual practices, as archaeological and epigraphic finds prove. Preparing and wearing textual amulets is one of those practices. These amulets contain texts credited with magical powers. Many of the texts are, however, silent about their usage in protective rites, and it is the manuscript itself that has to reveal its story. The coexistence of the written text and its material carrier and setting plays a decisive role in the amulet cult. The efficacy of textual amulets is achieved through the interplay of text, form, and function. Wearing amulets for protective purposes represents a ritual practice that does not aim at attaining Buddhahood, but reflects everyday concerns of the Buddhist community, which only recently gained scholarly attention.

Author: Dr. Ines Konczak-Nagel