. esoteric buddhism under the song: an overview 429
Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha (Tuoloni ji jing T. 901).^33 As is the case
in many dhāraṇī scriptures, the deity is invoked for a variety of dif-
ficulties ranging from government oppression, to bandits, to floods,
fires, ḍākinīs, etc.^34 Mārīcī’s cult gained in importance during the
ascendancy of the “yoga” teaching of Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra
in the mid-Tang.^35 One of her key attributes is her association with
the sun. Her splendor can be blinding and thus her association with
the blinding of foes and the power of invisibility.^36 Nonetheless, her
iconography in all of the seventh and eighth century texts is minimal.
Her standard description is that found in Atikūṭa’s collection, viz, an
image made of something precious, the left arm bent at the elbow the
hand touching the breast and making a fist grasping a fan. The right
arm is stretched out with fingers down.^37
According to the Catalogue of the Dharma Treasure a team headed
by Devaśāntika translated the Great Mārīcī Bodhisattva sūtra (Da
molizhi pusa jing ) in 986–987.^38 In contrast to the
vagueness of earlier texts, Devaśāntika’s text presents an elaborate ico-
nography and ritual program including various sādhana and homa to
the goddess. It also presents a variety of images of the goddess—two
armed, four armed, six armed, and eight armed, some in dance pos-
ture, some standing straight, some sitting. She commonly has three
faces, and one of these is wrathful and porcine. In some she sticks
out her tongue and her face has a slight smile. Her gown can be deep
blue, or red, or white. She is crowned, and the crown contains a stūpa
or an image of Mahāvairocana. She is in a chariot pulled by boars,
and two of her hands hold a needle and thread to sew up the eyes of
enemies. In most descriptions she grasps a branch of the Aśoka tree.
In others she grasps a sword, a staff, a vajra, a severed head (of Rāhu),
a wheel, a bow, arrows. The text details a variety of methods includ-
ing the already familiar forms of protection, invisibility, and so forth,
(^33) T. 901.18:869c8–10.
(^34) T. 901.18:869c29–870a11.
(^35) Texts involved are T. 1254, 1255 A & B, 1256, 1259.
(^36) She also has connections to Mahāvairocana and to Ursa Major—the big dipper.
(^37) Three Tang texts are attributed to Amoghavajra (T. 1254, 1255, and 1258). For a
treatment of the pre-Song texts see Hall 1990, 67–189. 38
T. 1257 Sanskrit: Mārīcīdhāraṇī(sūtra) which corresponds to an extant Sanskrit
manuscript as well as to the iconography found in the Sādhanamālā). Mārīcī’s ico-
nography is discussed by Bhattacharyya 1993, 93–100.