12. DHĀRAṆĪ SCRIPTURES
Paul Copp“Dhāraṇī scriptures,” those Buddhist texts that center on the presenta-
tion and means to actualize the incantations known as dhāraṇīs, con-
stitute a large and diverse corpus within Buddhist literature in Chinese.
These texts, identifiable in general terms by the words “dhāraṇī scrip-
ture” (tuoluoni jing , zongchi jing ) or “incantation
scripture” (zhoujing ), etc., in their titles, range in size and com-
plexity from the small and simple, such as the Zhu fo xinyin tuoluoni
jing ( Scripture of the Mind Seal Dhāraṇīs of the
Buddhas; T. 919), a text of only five hundred and eighteen characters,^1
to the vast and multidimensional, such as the Tuoluoni za ji
( Scripture of Collected Dhāraṇīs; T. 1336), a huge anthology of
ritual methods spanning fifty-seven pages in the Taishō edition of the
Chinese Buddhist canon. It is not useful to regard dhāraṇī scriptures
as forming a true genre of Buddhist writing. Instead, the term refers
to works from quite different textual genres, ranging from technical
manuals, written (like others of its kind) in mainly unadorned declara-
tive language, to prosimetric sūtra narratives rich in metaphor and
literary conceit.
By definition, all forms of dhāraṇī scriptures center on directions for
the ceremonial enactments of incantation(s), most prominently ritual
chanting, but also on the hearing, reading, and writing of the spells.
The texts often provide extremely detailed instructions for the set-up
of the ritual arenas for these enactments, including precise details of
the layout of the space, the objects used to delineate it, the proper
execution of the image or images on which the devotion of the rites
are focused, and, in some cases, the substances to be used to inscribe
the incantations. Early dhāraṇī scriptures, such as the two listed above,
(^1) A looser understanding of the genre might include early incantation texts whose
spells are not identified as dhāraṇīs, such as Tanwulan’s (fl. 381–395) Foshuo zhouchi
jing ( Scripture Spoken by the Buddha for the Enchantment of Teeth; T.
1327), a text of only one hundred and two characters, or the anonymous and undated
Foshuo zhoumu jing ( Scripture Spoken by the Buddha for the Enchant-
ment of Eyes; T. 1328), in fifty characters.