. the presence of esoteric buddhist elements 299
toward the end of his life, as it has been relatively well documented.^34
In addition to the translations he participated in, Yixing authored a
number of Buddhist works, including the Da Piluzhe’na foyan xiux-
ing yigui (Procedures for the Practice of the Mahāvairocana Buddha
Locana),^35 the Yaoshi liuliguang rulai xiaozai chunan niansong yigui
(Ritual Proceedures and Recita-
tions for [Invoking] Bhaisaja Tathāgata for the Elimination of Disas-̣
ters and Difficulties),^36 the Beidou qixing humo fa
(Method for Homa to the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper)^37 and
the Fantian huoluo jiuyao (The Nine Luminaries of the
Indian Hora [System]),^38 all of which deal with Esoteric Buddhism in
some form.
Yifu (d. 732),^39 another of the great disciples of Shenxiu, is also
known to have taken some interest in Esoteric Buddhism. Vajrabo-
dhi’s biography in the Song gaoseng zhuan mentions that Yifu received
abhiṣeka together with Yixing from the Indian ācārya, an event that
probably took place around 720 C.E.^40 From the little we know of
Yifu’s teachings, however, there is practically nothing that points at
influence from Esoteric Buddhism. Although this does not necessarily
mean that he did not entertain some devotion toward the new Zhe-
nyan teachings, Yifu was probably mainly concerned with the new
ritual for the bestowal of the bodhisattva precepts. This also appears to
have been the case with Shouzhen (700–770),^41 a direct disciple
of Puji, whose stele inscription mentions that he had also received the
bodhisattva precepts from Śubhākarasiṃha.^42
(^34) For a solid monograph on him, see Osabe 1963. See also Lü 1995, 224–45.
(^35) T. 981.
(^36) T. 922.
(^37) T. 1310.
(^38) T. 1311.
(^39) For a discussion of his importance, see McRae 1986, 64–65.
(^40) For the traditional view of Yixing’s study of astronomy and mathematics, see
Kenneth Ch’en 1964, 481–82. See Sørensen, “Astrology and the Worship of the Planets
in Esoteric Buddhism of the Tang,” in this volume. In Korea Yixing has long been
venerated as a principal exponent of the five elements, and the originator of the feng-
shui (Kor. p’ungsu) system, said to have been introduced in the peninsula by the
Sŏn monk Tosŏn (827–897), a master in the Mt. Tongni line of transmission.
Cf. Sørensen, “Early Esoteric Buddhism in Korea,” in this volume.
(^41) Biography in QTW, ch. 918, 4291bc.
(^42) Cf. QTW, ch. 918, 4291bc.The Qixin zonglun refered to in this passage is the
Dacheng qixin lun (Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna). T. 1666.