. esoteric buddhist art in china, – 503
of the Tang tradition of Esoteric Buddhism.^17 At the heart of Zhao’s
sculptural groups and sanctuaries is the cult of Liu Benzun
(855–907),^18 a lay thaumaturge and Esoteric Buddhist specialist who
allegedly played a major role in spreading and popularizing Esoteric
Buddhism in the region around Chengdu (Yizhou ) during the
final years of the Tang and the early Five Dynasties period.^19
Thus we see in the sculptural groups at Mt. Baoding a curious blend
of exoteric and esoteric forms of Chinese Mahāyāna, including bona
fide elements of Esoteric Buddhism.^20 This has resulted in a hybrid
sculptural vocabulary in which classical Esoteric Buddhist iconogra-
phy has been tempered with themes and imagery associated with con-
cepts from Huayan Buddhism, as is evident in some of the Vairocana
images found at the site (color plate 5).^21 Incidentally, the same trend
can also be observed in the Esoteric Buddhist art of the Liao empire
and in the Korean kingdom of Koryŏ. The view that the sculptural
art of Mt. Baoding primarily reflects Esoteric Buddhism is incorrect
and cannot be maintained, given the overwhelming data that proves
otherwise.
(^17) A longstanding debate has been going on among Chinese scholars regarding
the sectarian affiliation of the site; many argue that Mt. Baoding’s sculptural groups
reflect Esoteric Buddhism, and some even go so far as to insist that the site can only
be understood in terms of Esoteric Buddhism. For such a radical view, see Guo 1997.
Recently, the Chinese scholar Hou Chong has tried to show that Mt. Baoding was
meant to function as a site for shuilu rituals. Cf. Hou 2005. Both views have been
disproved and rejected in Sørensen 2008, 384–85.
(^18) Different opinions regarding the dates of Liu Benzun has resulted in a confused
reading of his life in most Chinese studies on this topic. A discussion of this can be
found in Sørensen 2001, 60–64. A similar reading of his dates can also be found in
Howard 2001, 100–102.
(^19) Cf. Sørensen 2001. Biludong in neighboring Anyue county also fea-
tures large-scale tableaux relating to the cult of Liu Benxun, indicating that it enjoyed a
certain prominence in Eastern Sichuan during the second half of the Southern Song. 20
These include the important tableaux of Liu Benzun (Dafowan, group no. 21), the
thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara (Dafowan, group no. 8), the demon generals of the
Āryamāhāsāhasra-pramardanī-mahāyāna sūtra (Dafowan, group no. 2), Mahāmāyūrī
(Dafowan, group no. 13), the ten vidyārājas (Dafowan, group no. 22) etc. For some
general observations on the Esoteric Buddhist sculptures at Mt. Baoding, see Sørensen
2008, 383–89. An excellent photo record of these images can be found in Chongqing
Dazu shike yishu bowuguan, comp. 1999.
(^21) Cf. Sørensen 2008, 385–86.