Zhanran and Tang Period Esoteric Buddhism: Li Hua and His Thought

Abstract

The paper reconsiders the Esoteric thought of Zhanran (711–782) in the time period after Zhiyi. Earlier research was not able to confirm Zhanran’s remarkable reference to Esoterism, and neglected to investigate it. But Zhanran positively made use of the technical term frequently employed by Bukong’s community, “Becoming a Buddha in this very body” (即身成仏). As background of this idea, Zhiyi quoted the Pusa chutai jing (菩薩処胎経) in his Fahua Wenju (法華文句), but Zhiyi made no use of the already translated expression “Becoming a Buddha in this very body.” But Zhanran noticed the sūtra passage with the expression, and made positive use of it in his commentary. When early Mahāyāna sūtras were translated into Chinese, the thought behind “Becoming a Buddha in this very body” may have indirectly criticized with the idea that it had been an idea original to Bukong’s community. As for Zhanran’s Esoterism, it is likely that the layman Li Hua played a key role.