Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia

52 henrik h. sørensen

Esoteric Buddhist Material from the Qianlong Dazang Jing (QDJ)

A brief review of the Esoteric Buddhist scriptures found in the QDJ,

which are not contained in either the Taishō nor Zokuzōkyō collec-

tions, reveals that we are essentially dealing with texts associated with

Amoghavajra and a few others, including the Indian monk Shihu who

worked during the Liao empire.^82 While the authenticity of most of

this material appears to be fairly well established, one must never-

theless exert some caution in accepting the author and translator

attributions without question. Below is a list of the most important of

these texts.

Baiqian yin tuoluoni jing ( Dhāraṇī Scripture of a

Hundred-thousand Seals).^83 A short, possibly abbreviated spell text,

the translation of which is attributed to Śiksānanda (fl. late seventh ̣

to early eighth centuries), the famous translator of the long version of

the Avataṃsaka. Given that the name of this monk is not normally

associated with Esoteric Buddhism, further study is needed before this

attribution should be accepted.

Tuoluoni men zhubu yaomu (Essential Listing of

the Dhāraṇī Methods of All Classes),^84 compiled by Amoghavajra. This

short work is important for its classification of the major scriptures

and maṇḍalas utilized by Amoghavajra and his disciples in accordance

with the five buddha families.

Jin’gangding yujie Jin’gangsaduo yigui (Rit-
ual Proceedings of the Vajraśekhara Yoga on Vajrasattva),^85 translated
by Amoghavajra. This ritual text forms part of the Vajraśekhara cycle
of scriptures and is devoted to the cult of Bodhisattva Vajrasattva.

Da Jixiang tiannu shier minghao jing (Scrip-
ture on the Twelve Names of Śrī Mahādevī),^86 translation attributed

(^82) For more on Shihu see Orzech, “Translation of Tantras and Other Esoteric Bud-
dhist Scriptures,” in this volume. 83
QDJ 499.47.
(^84) QDJ 1445.110.
(^85) QDJ 1393.109.
(^86) QDJ 953.61.