202 henrik h. sørensen
dhāraṇī-sūtra called the Fo shuo hu zhu tongzi tuoluoni jing
(Buddha Speaks the Scripture on the Dhāran ̣ī that Pro-
tects all Children), provide prayers in combination with spells and the
names for a series of demonesses who are believed to feed on young
children (cf. T. 1028A.19:741b–742c). For instance, different Esoteric
Buddhist scriptures featured their own arsenal of spells that were in
many cases meant to render protection against the same evil spirits or
cure the same kinds of diseases.^12 The overlapping of spell-remedies
was a major factor in greatly stimulating the production of Esoteric
Buddhist scriptures dealing with healing and exorcism.^13
Although ritualized sex forms an integral part of the higher forms
of tantric Buddhist ritual, it was also present in the earlier phases of
Esoteric Buddhism, albeit in a less explicit and well-defined form. In
many texts, such as the Amoghapāśa-kalparāja sūtra (cf. T. 1097),
there is a close relationship between sex and magic, almost as if the
accomplishment of siddhi hinges on it (T. 1097.20:426a). In some
cases, the ritual magic was even to be carried out with the expressed
purpose of securing control of a desired sexual partner as described
in the same scripture (T. 1097.20:425c426b).^14 Another text speaks of
the adept taking an asura-woman as his consort in order to achieve
siddhi (T. 953.19:296a). One also encounters the practice of necro-
mancy and necrophilia in the context of sex and magic, such as we
find in Jin’gangsatuo shuo Pinnayejia tian chengjiu yigui jing
(Vajrasattva Speaks the Scripture on
the Ritual Procedures for Achieving the Siddhis of the God Vināyaka)
(cf. T. 1272.21:307b, 317c, 318c etc.).^15
A fairly large segment of the Esoteric Buddhist literature in Chinese
contains methods by which the adept may engage in magical “treasure
(^12) This is evident in many of the scriptures belonging to the cults of the various
forms of Avalokiteśvara, most of which feature identical or very similar magical rem-
edies and rituals. Compare, for example, the methods set forth in the Nīlakaṇṭhaka
sūtra with those found in the Ekādaśamukha.
(^13) See Robson, “Mediums in Esoteric Buddhism,” and “Talismans in Chinese Eso-
teric Buddhism,” in this volume.
(^14) For a survey of the various forms of ritual magic in this text, see Reis-Habito
1999.
(^15) This sexual aspect of Vināyaka has received special attention in Strickmann 1996,
243–290. After the end of the Tang this dual image fell out of use, though it continued
to be used in Japanese Shingon Buddhism. For a discussion of this, see Kabanoff 1994,
99–126. Here it should be noted that the dual form of Vināyaka has not been found in
India proper, although there can be little doubt that it originated there.