. the presence of esoteric buddhist elements 297
682), was essentially exoteric in nature and preoccupied with various
forms of yogācāra-related philosophy and Buddhist doctrinal questions
in general, Esoteric Buddhist practices were nevertheless an integral
part of its teachings.^17 Xuanzang is known to have translated several
important sūtras of the dhāraṇī class, including the Sheng-chuang bei-
yin tuoluoni jing ( Dhāraṇī Scripture on the Spell of
the Superlative Mudrā),^18 the Amoghapāśahṛdaya sūtra^19 the Zhou wu
shou (Spells under Five Headings)^20 and the Ekādaśamukha.^21
The latter is a mature Esoteric Buddhist scripture containing a full
ritual program involving spells, mudrās, a special altar, and the use
of process magic.^22 It is also interesting to note that Xuanzang was
a master of spells, and at least one incident in the Tang Da cien si
sanzang zhuan (History of the Dharma Mas-
ter Tripitaka of the Da cien Temple of the Tang)̣^23 documents this.^24
Likewise, Xuanzang’s Korean disciple Wŏnch’uk (613–696), the
author of a lengthy commentary on the Sandhīnirmocana sūtra, also
wrote a piece on the Renwang jing.^25 Taken together, this material
reveals that the use of spells and Esoteric Buddhist ritual constituted
an important and integral part of Faxiang school praxis, and it may
not be wrong to consider this a forerunner of the cultic and ritual
developments that took place in Chinese Buddhism towards the end
of the seventh century and the early part of the eighth century.^26
(^17) For an intersting and illuminating discussion of meditation in the context of
Faxiang Buddhism, see Sponberg 1986. Unfortunately this otherwise excellent study
completely ignores the Esoteric Buddhist elements in the teaching and practices of
the Faxiang school. 18
T. 1363.
(^19) T. 1094. In the decades following Xuanzang’s translation of this scripture, it was
retranslated and recompiled a number of times, and in the process developed into a
full-blown Esoteric Buddhist scripture with a ritual program in which mantras, mudrās,
mandala, and homa occur. For these elements see Orzech and Payne, “Homa,” and
Orzech and Sørensen, “ 20 Mudrā, Mantra, and Mandala,” both in this volume.
T. 1034.
(^21) T. 1071.
(^22) See Sørensen, “Esoteric Buddhism and Magic in China,” in this volume. Mention
should also be made here of the important commentary on this scripture attributed to
Xuanzang’s disciple Huizhao (651–714). Cf. T. 1802.39:1004b–1011c. For addi-
tional bibliographical information, cf. 23 FDC vol. 7, 6034ab.
T. 2053.
(^24) Cf. T. 2053.50:223a.
(^25) HPC 1, 15b–123c. See also Sørensen, “Early Esoteric Buddhism in Korea: Three
Kingdoms and Unified Silla (c. 600–918),” in this volume. 26
For these developments see Orzech, “Esoteric Buddhism in the Tang: From
Atikūta to Amoghavajra (651–780),” in this volume.̣