228 james robsonDhāraṇī Sūtra of Āṭavaka, General of Demons (A zhapoju guishen
dajiang shangfo tuolouni jing , T.
1238) includes a talisman (fu) to be used against disease demons.
Dhāraṇī Spell Sūtra of Jāṅgulī, the Poison Woman, Spoken by the Bud-
dha (Foshuo Changjuli dunu tuoluoni zhoujing
, T. 1265) has talismans for dealing with toxic envenoma-
tion and can be use to repel demonic pneumas (guiqi ) and cure
stomach ailments. Nāgārjuna’s Treatise on the Five Sciences (Lungshu
wuming lun , T. 1420) is rich in talismans to be worn
(pei ) or ingested (fu ) to repel demons or secure safe childbirth or
numerous this-worldly benefits. The Secret Magical Techniques of the
Ten-thousand Loves of Mañjuśrī and Yamāntaka (Manshushili yan -
mandejia wanai mishu ruyi fa ,
T. 1219) is a text attributed to Yixing (683–727), the Chan monk
who later became Śubhākarasiṃha’s disciple, and contains two talis-
mans (Xiao Dengfu 1994; Osabe Kazuo 1963). The Sūtra Spoken by
the Buddha on Prolonging Life by Worship of the Seven Stars of the
Northern Dipper (Foshuo beidou qixing yanming jing
, T. 1307) includes talismans that draw extra potency from their
correlation with specific stars to ensure protection against malevolent
demons, secure official promotions, attain wealth and prosperity, and
ease childbirth (Orzech and Sanford 2000; Xiao 1994). The Scripture
on the Rites of the Vajra-Being of Impure Traces [Ucchusma] for Exor-̣
cising the Hundred [Demonic] Transformations (Huiji jin’gang jin bai-
bianhua fa jing , T. 1229) has four talismanic
seals (yin) that confer immense powers, such as the ability to attract
the love of others, to fly, and to alleviate pain and suffering. The text
also depicts forty-two talismans that are to be written on paper, on
the body, or on paper and swallowed in order to ensure that one pro-
longs one’s life and increases one’s knowledge (yannian yizhi
; see figure 1) (Strickmann 2002; Davis 2001). Another short text
in the Taishō canon that combines text and talismans is the Rules for
the Diviner’s Board of the Holy Deity of Mirth (Sheng huanxitian shifa
, T. 1275.21:324b12). This hybrid text is an amalgama-
tion of Chinese and Indian astral images, Hindu deities, Sanskrit “seed
syllables” (bīja), mudrās, and talismans, and it ends with the familiar
injunction “quickly, quickly in accordance with the statutes and ordi-
nances.” The Sūtra of the Seven Thousand Buddhas Spirit Talismans Spo-
ken by the Buddha (Foshuo qiqian fo shenfu jing ;
hereafter Seven Thousand Buddhas Spirit Talismans) is a fragmentary