. after amoghavajra 317
Shortly after his death, Amoghavajra’s lay disciples Yan Ying 10
and Zhao Qian 11 recounted the transmission of the STTS in
a lineage encompassing Mahāvairocana, Vajrasattva, Nāgārjuna,
Nāgabodhi, and Vajrabodhi (Orzech 2006).^12 Lu Xiang , a lay
disciple of Vajrabodhi, had already recounted a similar though some-
what truncated lineage (T. 2157.55:875b9–14).^13 Zhao Qian’s account
is as follows:
Long ago Bhagavān Vairocana bestowed the mantras, methods, and
mudrās of the Jin’gangding yuqie bimi jiaowang upon Vajrapāṇi Bodhisat-
tva. These were handed down for nearly a thousand years and were
transmitted to Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva. After a further several hundred
years Nāgārjuna transmitted them to Nāgābodhi Ācārya. After a fur-
ther several hundred years Nāgābodhi transmitted them to Vajrabodhi
Ācārya, and Vajrabodhi transmitted them to the present great teacher
(Amoghavajra). Consequently, from the source flows a single stream
(sui yuan yiliu pai ) perhaps comprised of only some ten
persons and that is it! As if a single house , the legitimate disciples
continued in succession with my master as the sixth to receive it. (T.
2056.50:292b16–21)The language of Zhao Qian’s lineage is striking in its similarity to other
lineage formations in the late Tang, particularly those being created
by proponents of Chan (Orzech 2006, 53).^14 But it is also notable for
(^10) Yan Ying was very well connected. At the time of Amoghavajra’s death he held
the post of Censor General (yushi daifu ). He is mentioned in the Xin Tang
shu 11 , “Yan Ying zhuan,” (Liezhuan 70) 145.17a–19b.
Zhao Qian mentions in his Xingzhuang that he was Amoghavajra’s disciple for
nine years (T. 2056.50:294c4) and that he was a literary advisor to the emperor (Han-
lin daizhao ). Amoghavajra mentions him as an assistant in translation work
in his testamentary epistle ( 12 T. 2120.52:844b24).
Yan Ying’s account is at T. 2120.52:860b4–10. Zhao Qian’s account is at T.
2056.50:292b20–25. 13
Another version of this lineage was written by Kūkai , the Japanese pilgrim-
monk regarded as the founder of the Shingon school (see Tinsley, “Kūkai,”
in this volume). This account claims to be based on the oral transmission of Kūkai’s
master, Huiguo , who was a disciple of Amoghavajra. Kūkai’s account adds fur-
ther details, including the notion that Nāgārjuna sought out the iron stūpa because
of the “heresies” that had arisen during the age of the decline of the Dharma. For a
discussion and translation of Kūkai’s account see Abé 1999, 223–26.
(^14) Yan Ying’s stele biography, dated 781, proclaims in language commonly associ-
ated with Chan that “from Vairocana to the monk [Amoghavajra] are a total of six
‘petals’ ” (fan liuye yi , T. 2120.52:860b10), and declares that Huilang suc-
ceeded his master and “attained the decree to transmit the lamp” (de chuan deng zhi
zhi , 860b21).