. esoteric buddhism in the tang 281
, he was summoned to perform an abhis ̣eka in the palace and
also to demonstrate his prowess at weather control.^76 Xuanzong also
requested that he lecture on the Scripture for Humane Kings (Renwang
jing , T. 245), a Chinese apocryphon aimed at protection of
the state (Orzech 1998; Osabe Kazuo 1971b).^77 But just two years after
he had returned to China, Amoghavajra apparently departed again
“to return to his native country.”^78 According to one source he fell ill
on the way and until 753–754 stayed in Shaozhou , from where
he was summoned to Gansu to join the entourage of General Geshu
Han. It appears that his value was apparent to the general, if
not to Xuanzong, and he was received with requests for abhiṣeka and
the wherewithal to resume translating. In a short span, Amoghavajra
translated the first chapter of the STTS (T. 865, see above), and three
texts associated with the Ekāksara-uṣ ṇ̣īsa-cakravartin system. Recalled ̣
to the capital, he was ensconced in Daxingshan Monastery
, where he remained during the rebellion of An Lushan
(703–757 C.E.).^79
The new Emperor Suzong (r. 756–762 C.E.), like Geshu Han,
gravitated toward Amoghavajra as a sorely needed source of legitimacy
and also, it seems, as a source of military and protective assistance
through supernormal ritual means. Indeed, the metaphors of sover-
eignty at the heart of the “Yoga” and the ritual knowledge to invoke
divine protection in the form of wrathful vidyārājas would character-
ize Amoghavajra’s activities under Suzong and his successor Daizong
(r. 762–779 C.E.). Over the next eighteen years until his death in
774, Amoghavajra translated numerous scriptures and ritual manuals
(becoming the second most prolific translator after Xuanzang); per-
formed rituals for the royal family and many high court figures; taught
disciples from China, Korea, and Japan; and became, in many ways,
the most powerful monk in Chinese history. The prestige garnered by
his high position, coupled with his prolific translation and the teaching
of his disciples, made the “Yoga” and esoteric Buddhism a continent-
wide phenomenon.
(^76) Chou 1945, 293. The original is Song gaoseng zhuan, T. 2061.50:712c10–21.
(^77) Amoghavajra’s recension of this text (T. 246) became a centerpiece of his state-
oriented esoteric Buddhism and became important for state cults in Korea and Japan
as well. See Osabe 1971b, 89–94, and Orzech 1998, Chapters Five and Six. 78
Song gaoseng zhuan, T. 2061.50:712c21.
(^79) For the An Lushan rebellion, see Dalby 1979, esp. 561–85.