<i>Ānāpānasmṛti</i> in the <i>Yogalehrbuch</i>: Its Structure and Visualization

The <i>Yogalehrbuch</i> 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 <i>ānāpānasmṛti</i> and how the meditative images relate to the descriptions of Abhidharmic texts. The results show that the <i>Yogalehrbuch</i> 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, <i>abhiṣeka</i>, the Buddhas of the past, and Maitreya) with two meditation manuals, the <i>Secret Essentials</i> and the <i>Methods of Curing</i>, and two early esoteric <i>sūtra</i>s. The results show that the <i>abhiṣeka</i> in the <i>Yogalehrbuch</i> 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 <i>Methods of Curing</i> refers to a <i>dhāraṇī</i> similar to those found in two esoteric <i>sūtra</i>s. The two <i>sūtra</i>s use <i>abhiṣeka</i> as the name of <i>dhāraṇī</i>s, not as meditative images. From the above, it is hypothesized that the <i>Yogalehrbuch</i> was established within a background in which elements of early esoteric Buddhism could be found but had not yet seen the development of <i>dhāraṇī</i>s.