This is a study of the mandalas that depict the teachings of the Liqujing (Guiding Principle Scripture), which was translated from Sanskrit to Chinese by the Esoteric Buddhist master Amoghavajra ... Show moreThis is a study of the mandalas that depict the teachings of the Liqujing (Guiding Principle Scripture), which was translated from Sanskrit to Chinese by the Esoteric Buddhist master Amoghavajra (705–774). These mandalas were prescribed in his Liqushi (Explanation on the Guiding Principle Scripture). Amoghavajra considered this scripture, its commentaries, and mandalas to be crucial works in a new Esoteric Buddhist system he called the Yoga of the Adamantine Crown. I examine the set called the Liqujing shibahui mantuluo (Mandalas of the Eighteen Assemblies of the Guiding Principle Scripture) in Kyoto’s Daigo Temple. The Shingon school claims that the iconography is based upon Amoghavajra’s Liqushi. A systematic investigation of the Liqushi, the mandalas it prescribes and the iconography of the Daigoji set has not been done by Asian or Western scholars. I assign responsibility for the iconographical and iconological changes seen in the Daigoji set to the transmission of the Chinese master Faquan (c. 800–870), whose transmission has not yet been studied. I investigate the transmissions of Amoghavajra and the Chinese Esoteric Buddhist masters who followed him, especially Faquan. Such an investigation reveals the concerns of these masters and the Chinese assimilation and transformation of Indian Esoteric Buddhism. Show less
The various lineages of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan all have their identity based on tradition, history, and selected preferences in doctrine and ritual. This article describes how identity... Show moreThe various lineages of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan all have their identity based on tradition, history, and selected preferences in doctrine and ritual. This article describes how identity-definition may take place in the instrcution courses of the priests called koden. As example, the mention of the title of the Dainichikyo as the first line of the influential Hizoki is presented with a number of possible explanations. The range of the subjects that are touched upon warrants further research into the actual training of the priests and into the way they shape their ritual work which is supportive of set notions in Japanese society. Show less
The various lineages of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan all have their identity based on tradition, history, and selected preferences in doctrine and ritual. This article describes how identity... Show moreThe various lineages of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan all have their identity based on tradition, history, and selected preferences in doctrine and ritual. This article describes how identity-definition may take place in the instrcution courses of the priests called koden. As example, the mention of the title of the Dainichikyo as the first line of the influential Hizoki is presented with a number of possible explanations. The range of the subjects that are touched upon warrants further research into the actual training of the priests and into the way they shape their ritual work which is supportive of set notions in Japanese society. Show less
