7. CENTRAL DIVINITIES IN THE ESOTERIC BUDDHIST
PANTHEON IN CHINA
Henrik H. SørensenIntroduction
The Esoteric Buddhist pantheon in East Asia is on the one hand a
reflection of Indian Buddhist developments, and on the other hand
the result of local imagination. The formation of the Esoteric Bud-
dhist pantheon in China, i.e., that which became codified during the
second half of the Tang, was the result of a long process lasting at least
three centuries. This development took place simultaneously with the
gradual introduction of Esoteric Buddhist texts. The cults of certain
divinities that came about at a later stage in the history of Chinese
Buddhism, in particular those associated with the full-fledged Tantric
Buddhist tradition, developed in the post-Tang period, but by and
large the Esoteric Buddhist pantheon was in place by the end of the
ninth century. Nevertheless, it is important to note that many of the
divinities in the mainstream Buddhist pantheon were also shared by
the Esoteric Buddhist tradition. Indeed, in many cases the context and
type of ritual procedures used to worship or invoke these deities deter-
mine their exoteric or esoteric nature.
The cults of the most popular Esoteric Buddhist divinities dur-
ing the Tang (618-905) are also reflected in religious art. Clearly, the
iconic norms for the Esoteric Buddhist pantheon as set forth in its
literature were followed more or less faithfully in the production of
sculptures and votive paintings. Iconic differences and interpretations
certainly existed, especially on the local level, but by and large it is
possible to trace most of the major iconographical forms back to the
written sources.
Buddhas
Vairocana: Esoteric Buddhism, especially in its mature forms, including
the Tantric phase, signals a significant shift in focus from Śākyamuni as
the spiritual center of attention to his transcendental form, Vairocana,
usually referred to in the primary texts such as the Mahāvairocana
sūtra, as “Great Sun” (figure 1).