240 henrik h. sørensen
(683–723).^44 Embedded in this ritual work is another text, the Chisheng-
guang yaofa (Essential Method of Tejaprabha),^45 and the
Da weide Chishengguang rulai jixiang tuoluoni jing
(Great Majestic and Virtuous Tejaprabha Tathāgata
Good Fortune Dhāraṇī Sūtra)^46 translated by Amoghavajra. The latter
would appear to have been the main scripture of the Tejaprabha cult.
The sources present Tejaprabha as a cosmic manifestation of
Śākyamuni and, in terms of iconography, the most important source
on the iconography of Tejaprabha is the Da sheng Miaojixiang pusa
shuo chuzai jiaoling falun (Great Holy
Wonderful Luck Bodhisattva Discourses on the Removal of Calami-
ties Causing the Dharma Wheel [to Turn]).^47 Despite its title, in this
text Tejaprabha is actually described as a buddha, not a bodhisattva.
In the biography of Amoghavajra as retold in the SGSZ, we find one
instance in which the Ācārya was called upon by the Chinese emperor
to worship Tejaprabha and the astral gods on Mt. Wutai in
order to dispel the evil omen caused by a comet.^48 After the fall of
the Tang, the Tejaprabha cult continued to thrive in different parts of
China, including Sichuan. Another piece of evidence drawn from the
SGSZ mentions that a monk by the name of Wuji (d. 925), who
hailed from Guangfu Temple in Lingzhou , was a special-
ist in the performance of Tejaprabha rituals during the beginning of
the Later Tang (923–935).^49
Standard representations of Tejaprabha from the Tang exist in the
form of paintings and sketches drawn on paper. Although minor dif-
ferences can be observed, both iconographically and structurally the
surviving examples are largely similar in terms of iconography and
they show a compositional uniformity. All depict Tejaprabha seated
in a carriage drawn by an ox. He is clad in the garb of a buddha, and
his chief distinguishing attribute is the golden wheel he holds in one
hand, or in some cases with both hands. Surrounding Tejaprabha’s
carriage are the divinities representing the seven (or nine) planets.
(^44) For a detailed study of the life of this important monk, see Osabe 1963.
(^45) Cf. T. 1310.21:458c–9a.
(^46) T. 963. Analogous to T. 964. Manuscript versions from Dunhuang are P. 2194,
P. 2382 etc. 47
T. 966.
(^48) T. 2061.50:713a.
(^49) T. 2061.50:898a.