Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia

(Ben Green) #1

. textual material relating to esoteric buddhism 63


Putichang suoshuo yizi touding lunwang jing
(Scripture Spoken at the Bodhimanda on the One Letter Us ṇ̣īsa ̣
Wheel King).^149 Mentioned in the Zhengyuan xinding shijiao mulu
(Catalogue of Newly Established Texts of Bud-
dhism from the Zhengyuan Reign-Period).^150 A variant of T. 950.


Foding xin Guanshiyin pusa da tuoluoni jing
(Scripture on the Great Dhāran ̣ī of the Buddha’s Usṇ̣īsa Heart ̣
of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva).^151 An apocryphal scripture. It exists as
a Dunhuang manuscript.


Esoteric Buddhist Texts from Dali


First recovered from a dilapidated temple in the rural village of Beit-
angtian outside Dali in 1956, many texts from this impor-
tant collection are now gradually being published in the ZFW (also
in EZFW). The majority of the Buddhist works found here are Eso-
teric Buddhist texts, many of which are either unique to Yunnan or
are works that have long been out of circulation in the rest of China.
Despite the fact that many of the texts from this collection, in particu-
lar the printed ones, are relatively late, many dating from the Ming
and Qing periods, a number of the manuscripts are much earlier and
reflect the type of Esoteric Buddhism practiced by the Bai during
the Dali kingdom.^152 The most important of the Beitangtian texts are
listed below.


Zhongguang shuilu fashi wuzhe dazhai yi
(Great Ritual of the Majestic and Extensive Water and Land Method
for Making Offerings [on Behalf of ] those Without Protection),^153 an


(^149) Zhongguo fojiao xiehui Fangshan shijing zhengli yanjiu zu, ed. 1986, vol. 19.
This scripture is mentioned in the Zhengyuan xinding shijiao mulu
(Newly Established Catalogue of the Buddhist Teaching from the Zhengyuan Era).
Cf. 150 T. 2157.55:881b.
T. 2157.55:1050a.
(^151) Zhongguo fojiao xiehui Fangshan shijing zhengli yanjiu zu, ed. 1986, vol. 22.
This work also exists in a well-preserved Dunhuang manuscript from the end of the
Tang. Cf. 152 P. 3916 (5). See also Yü 1995, 97–135.
Cf. Sørensen, “Esoteric Buddhism in the Nanzhao and Dali Kingdoms (ca. 800–
1253),” in this volume. 153
A printed edition in seven volumes, said to date from the early Ming. Cf. Hou,
2009.

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