47. ESOTERIC BUDDHIST ART IN CHINA, 9601279
Henrik H. SørensenIntroduction
As was the case with Esoteric Buddhist practices in the post-Tang
period, Esoteric Buddhist art can be characterized by its discontinuity
with the Zhenyan tradition that dominated Esoteric Buddhist art in
China during the second half of the Tang. With the possible exception
of the Esoteric Buddhist art of the Xixia (which in any case reflects a
strong influence from Tibetan tantric Buddhism), the Esoteric Bud-
dhist art of the Song, Liao, and Jin has many features in common.
These include major iconographical themes, the same cults, concepts
of ritual spaces, and last but not least a shared Buddhist literature in
print. All of these features resulted from the overall dominance of
Chinese cultural practices. A general divergence from the orthodox
iconography of the Zhenyan tradition of the Tang, and a more flex-
ible, if not random, blending with exoteric Buddhist forms is evident
in all three cultures. This may be seen as an indication that the ortho-
dox transmission of ritual practices, including the accompanying oral
instructions used during the latter half of the Tang, no longer applied.
Incidentally, such an understanding is supported by the surviving
elements of material culture, including images, paintings, and ritual
objects that have been identified as belonging to Esoteric Buddhism.
Despite notable discontinuity, it is also important to acknowledge
that many aspects of Esoteric Buddhist art did continue after the Tang.
Major iconographical themes were continued, although they no lon-
ger conformed so closely to the textual norms. The cult surrounding
engraving dhāraṇīs on pillars and steles continued unabated, and may
even have become more widely adopted in secular contexts than had
previously been the case. Likewise, the tradition of using the ornamen-
tal Siddham script reached new heights, especially during the Liao and
Jin periods, from which there are numerous extant examples. How-
ever, it is clear that distinctions between exoteric and Esoteric Bud-
dhist art became less obvious, with the result that some icons, such as
Vairocana Buddha, became transformed into more hybrid figures.