. esoteric buddhism under the liao 463
Esoteric Buddhist spells were also engraved on funerary stūpas.^46
The stele inscription for the funerary stūpa of Vinaya Master Faxing
(1040–1103) of Zhengjue Temple in Anci county
mentions that his “numinous bones were placed in the stūpa,” which
was adorned “on the upper part with all the miscelleanous dhāraṇīs.”^47
Another inscription dating from 1090 C.E., concerning the erection
of his own funerary stūpa by the monk Shouen (fl. eleventh
century),^48 refers to all the various spells of which he was a master.
In addition to sūtras and texts of repentance, these included the “Six
Character Avalokiteśvara Spell, the One Character Mañjuśrī Spell, the
Ten Blessings Dhāraṇī of Manjuśrī and other mantras.”^49
Astrology and Esoteric Buddhism under the Liao
Tejaprabha, a late-comer to the Buddhist pantheon in East Asia, was
a chief divinity in the lore and ritual practices concerning worship
of the planets and constellations in Liao Buddhism.^50 The relevant
material on the cult of Tejaprabha can be found in textual form as
well as reflected in the surviving religious art. The importance of the
Tejaprabha cult under the Liao is evident in the many examples of
surviving icons, including material from the wooden pagoda in Ying
county mentioned previously.^51
Although astrology in its Buddhist form may have followed mul-
tiple directions in Liao culture, there is evidence that during the late
tenth century the Khitans were under considerable influence from
the Koryŏ Buddhist tradition in this regard. This may be understood
when reading through the preface for the important astrological man-
ual Xingming conggua (Summary of the Divination of the
Planets), compiled by the Liao scholar and official emissary to Koryŏ,
Yelü Chun (fl. tenth century).^52 Here it is mentioned how he
(^46) See Shen 2001.
(^47) QLW, p. 283. See also p. 285.
(^48) The sources indicate that he was a master of invocation (nianchi ) and that
he lived at Guangyin Temple in Yanjing. Cf. QLW, p. 234.
(^49) Ibid., p. 234.
(^50) See Sørensen, “On the Worship of the Planets and Asterisms in Esoteric Bud-
dhism during the Tang,” in this volume. See also Sørensen 1995c. 51
Cf. Ying xian muta Liao dai mizang, pls. 12, 85; 64. See also Meng 1996.
(^52) QLW, pp. 93–4. For the Xingming conggua itself, see Qinding siku quanshu
(Complete Books of the Four Collections made by Imperial Command), zibu (zi sec-
tion), 7.