Abstract
This paper is the third in a series of articles that I have written about dharani pillars (ching-ch’uang 經幢), Fo-ting tsun-sheng t’o-lo-ni ching (佛頂尊勝陀羅尼經), and the development of Tantric Buddhism in T’ang-Sung China. It focuses on the most popular type of dharani pillar of the medieval era, mortuary pillars engraved with dharani (mu-ch’uang 墓幢), which were erected at stupas housing the remains of members of the sangha, as well as the tombs of lay Buddhists. I begin by describing various types of mortuary pillars, as well as their different forms, but devote most of the paper to exploring the factors that contributed to the rapid spread of mortuary pillars during the T’ang-Sung era. My research reveals that mortuary pillars became highly popular at this time in large part due to the increasing influence of Buddhist ideas about the underworld, as well as the belief that certain dharani (particularly the Tsun-sheng t’o-lo-ni 尊勝陀羅尼) were an essential element of rites to free the souls of the dead from torment. Thus, the merging of practices linked to mortuary pillars with indigenous Chinese concepts like filial piety (hsiao 孝) served to enhance the overall function and significance of such dharani pillars.
In recent years, archaeologists working at tombs dating from the T’ang to the Yüan dynasties have unearthed silk paintings or wood carvings of Buddhist scriptures and spells (ching-chou 經咒), as well as wooden coffins inscribed with dharani. I refer to these objects as burial dharani (mu-tsang t’o-lo-ni 墓葬陀羅尼), and argue that they represent a modified form of mortuary pillars designed to provide another means for rescuing the souls of the dead from torment in the underworld. Moreover, considering burial dharani in the context of the historical development of mortuary pillars allows us to better appreciate their origins and overall significance.
Keywords
dharani pillars, mortuary pillars, dharani, relics, Tantric Buddhism
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