esoteric buddhism at the crossroads 277
in the extensive and important Chan Buddhist (Chin. chanzong 禪宗) mate-
rial, where imprints of Esoteric Buddhist beliefs and practices crop up with a
certain frequency. It is not the place to present a full discussion and documen-
tation of this development here; hence I shall limit myself to three representa-
tive cases in what follows.
It would appear that the earliest traces of Esoteric Buddhist influence on
Chan Buddhism in China stem from material relating to the Northern School
(Chin. beizong 北宗), in particular as it unfolded with the 2nd generation line-
ages descending from the important patriarch and leader Shenxiu (605?–706,
神秀).59
A good example of Esoteric Buddhist influence on Northern Chan, is repre-
sented by a pair of mantras, the Mantra for Getting Rid of Drowsiness (Chin.
Chushui zhou 出睡咒) and the Mantra for Entering Samādhi (Chin. Ruding
zhou 入定咒), both of which can be found in manuscripts featuring texts on
Chan meditation and doctrine.60 This pair of mantras is accompanied by a
short note which states that they were “translated by Śubhākarasiṃha” (Chin.
Wuwei sanzang yi 無畏三藏譯).61 Moreover, the notes say, that they are to
be “recited every day one hundred and eight times.”62 A passage in the text
quotes from the Mahāparinirvanasūtra, a canonical scripture popular in the
Chan tradition, stating that “Only to contemplate one’s own body is right, oth-
erwise it will not be right cultivation.”63 As the context in which the mantras
occur provides a clear connection to the Northern School of Chan, we know
that they must have been used by monks somehow affiliated with this brand
of Chinese Buddhism. There are no such mantras in the extant writings of
Śubhākarasiṃha, therefore it is questionable whether he had anything to do
with them. What is important is that he is credited with them, and that they
were integrated into the meditation-program of Chan monks. The mantras
read as follows:
59 For his life and career, see McRae, John R., The Northern School and the Transformation of
Early Ch’an Buddhism (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press and Kuroda Institute, 1986),
44–56.
60 Cf. S. 2669Vº, etc.
61 Cf. S. 2669Vº, etc.
62 Cf. S. 2669Vº, etc.
63 T. 374.12, p. 426c. The original meaning as given in the sūtra is of course rather different
than the way body contemplation (Chin. guanshen 觀身) has been interpreted in the text
of the manuscript, which reflects a more Esoteric Buddhist view of the body.