480 henrik h. sørensen
Foreign ācāryas were also present in Jin, and the Fozu lidai tongzai
(Comprehensive Record of Historical Generations of
Buddhas and Patriarchs)^9 provides information on the activities of the
North Indian master Huṃkaraśrī^10 (1104–1166) and his seven disci-
ples, including one Samayaśrī^11 (n.d.), who were active during the reign
of the important Emperor Shizong (r. 1161–1189).^12 Huṃkaraśrī
was an adept in the use of spells and rainmaking. He was also a wor-
shipper of Mañjuśrī and sojourned for a period in the Wutai Moun-
tains before being called to the Jin capital for consultations with the
emperor. While the Fozu lidai tongzai provides no information on the
possible transmission of Tantric Buddhist teachings by Huṃkaraśrī to
the Jin, such an influence may however be taken for granted.
These three examples of Esoteric Buddhist practitioners from the Jin
are generally in line with similar Chinese accounts of famous monks,
and while they can be seen in part as representing literary tropes or
formulaic descriptions of thaumaturges, there are enough elements in
them to see distinct imprints of Esoteric Buddhist lore. In the account
of the Chinese monk Fazhong, we are provided with slightly more
details on the ritual practices that made him famous. And while few
details are given about the type of Esoteric Buddhism he taught, the
Indian master Huṃkaraśrī was in all likelihood an exponent of mature
Tantric Buddhism. Again, Mt. Wutai, the fabled abode of Mañjuśrī
and a center of Esoteric Buddhism since the mid-Tang, looms large
in the accounts.
Compilation and Printing of Esoteric Buddhist Scriptures
The stone-carved Tripitaka at Fangshan ̣ , located outside modern
Beijing in Hebei province, is a central source of information on Jin
Buddhism. It so happens that the majority of the scriptures carved
during the Jin period at Yunju Temple are related to Esoteric
Buddhism.^13 While this may be seen as a coincidence rather than inter-
preted as a sign of the interest in and popularity of Esoteric Buddhism
(^9) T. 2036.
(^10) Honghaluoxili.
(^11) Sanmoyexili.
(^12) T. 2036.49:699c.
(^13) This fact can readily be observed by checking the table of contents of Buddhist
scriptures carved under the Liao and Jin. Cf. Zhongguo fojiao xiehui Fangshan shijing
zhengli yanjiu zu, ed. 1986.