320 charles d. orzech
in the STTS cycle.^22 Indeed, the mixing of elements from both trans-
missions appears to be a characteristic of ninth-century practice.
Despite never again having quite the vast patronage and prestige
enjoyed under Emperor Daizong (r. 762–779), there is evidence that
the teachings and practices connected with the MVS and the STTS
and accessed by abhiṣeka continued to be part of a flourishing Chi-
nese Buddhist world throughout the ninth century.^23 Evidence in a
variety of sources, including documents from Chinese masters, diaries
and inventories of Japanese pilgrims, and comments made by Zan-
ning (919–1001)^24 in the early Song present a picture of continu-
ing transmission and articulation of the “Yoga” and STTS-dominated
practice, practices connected with the MVS, and practices draw-
ing on the transmissions stemming from Śubhākarasiṃha and the
Susiddhikāramahātantra-saddhanopāyikā-patalạ (Suxidi jieluo jing
, T. 893).^25
Three major Chinese sources concerning ninth-century lineages that
supplement Japanese records are Haiyun’s (fl. 822–874) Liangbu dafa
xiangcheng shizi fufa ji ( T. 2081) com-
posed in 834; Zaoxuan’s (?–865+) Tai Jin liangjie xuemai
( X. 1074) of 865; and an anonymous text, the Jin Tai liangjie
shi[zi] xiangcheng [ ] ( X. 1073).^26 Shingon and
(^22) See Hunter 2001.
(^23) For Daizong see Orzech, “Esoteric Buddhism in the Tang,” in this volume.
(^24) He comments in his Lives of Eminent Monks Composed in the Song (Song gaoseng
zhuan ): “Among those who transmitted the Wheel of Instruction and Com-
mand (jiaoling lun ) in China, Vajrabodhi is regarded as the first patriarch,
Amoghavajra the second, and Huilang the third. From him on the succession
of patriarchs (zongcheng ) is [well] known. Thereafter the lineage divided into
many sects (chi fen paibie ) and [they] all claim to teach the Great Teaching
of Yoga ( 25 yuqie dajiao )” (T. 2061: 50.714a15–18).
The textual record of esoteric Buddhism in the provinces is sparse, though some
connections with Sichuan are recorded. An early follower of Amoghavajra’s Yoga and
a contemporary of Huiguo was Weishang. He journeyed to Chang’an to receive
the teaching, and returned to Chengdu to propagate it. So, too, Hongzhao made
a similar journey, traveling to Wutaishan and to the Xingshan temple in Chang’an in
the first third of the ninth century before returning to Sichuan to propagate esoteric
practices. See Huang 2008. Some Japanese pilgrims also report provincial activity.
Thus, Saichō tells of his esoteric initiation in Yuezhou in the Esshu rokū
, T. 2160.55:1059c10–15, in which Shunxiao led him “into
the abhiṣeka mandala of the Five Families” (T. 2160.55:1059c13). Chen 2010, 19–41,
discusses the difficulties concerning the content of this initiation and Saichō’s conflict-
ing accounts of it. 26
For a critical discussion of these three texts see Chen 2010, 83–96. In the Taishō
canon the anonymous text is incorrectly attributed to Haiyun.