422 charles d. orzech
But the first Song emperors, seeking to restore the lost glory of
the Tang empire and to surpass it, turned again to South Asia and
restarted the engine of translation with a massive infusion of patron-
age. The effect of this highly visible century-long effort was limited, but
it may indeed have had an unintended impact on Chinese nativistic
sentiments in the court and the rise of Linji Chan.^5 In the process
of collecting, translating, and printing the entire Buddhist canon we
also see the emergence of the “esoteric” as a distinct bibliographic and
discursive category. Japanese pilgrims including Chōnen , Jōjin
, Eisai and others continued to come to China to seek eso-
teric and other teachings, notably Chan. The period is also marked by
distinctive regional efflorescence of esoteric deities. Numerous sculp-
tural groups carved throughout the southwest, especially in Sichuan,
at such sites as Beishan and Baodingshan still testify to the spread and
assimilation of esoteric deities, from the Thousand-armed Guanyin to
the patroness of the military arts, Mārīcī.^6 So too, Nanzhao and its
successor state Dali, independent and outside the Chinese empire until
the conquest of Kublai in 1279, saw the development of a distinctly
esoteric-tinged form of Buddhism.^7
Evidence for Yoga lineages
Writing at the end of the tenth century, Zanning (919–1001), the
leader of the Buddhist community in the early Northern Song, tells us
that the Tang Yoga lineages continued down to his own time, though
their stature and accomplishments did not match that of their Tang
forebears.^8 A proponent of an inclusive version of Chan, Zanning was
an advocate for doing everything to acquire, translate and dissemi-
nate Buddhist scriptures. Zanning’s sympathies lay with the branch of
Chan that had developed in Wuyue (the Fayan branch), and he
(^5) See Orzech, forthcoming and “Translation of Tantras and other Esoteric Buddhist
scriptures,” in this volume.
(^6) See Copp, “Esoteric Buddhism in Song dynasty Sichuan,” and Sørensen, “Esoteric
Buddhist art 960–1279,” in this volume, and Howard, 2001.
(^7) See Sørensen, 2001, and his “Esoteric Buddhism in the Nanzhao and Dali king-
doms (800–1253),” “Esoteric Buddhist art under the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms,”
in this volume. Also Howard, 1997 and 1999. 8
For the Yoga in the Tang see Orzech 2006b, and “Esoteric Buddhism in the Tang:
From Atikūṭa to Amoghavajra (651–780),” and “After Amoghavajra: Esoteric Bud-
dhism in the Late Tang,” in this volume. For a brief introduction to Zanning see
Welter, 1999.