BRIEF HISTORY OF SECRET BUDDHISM IN CHINA

The Sutras belonging to the various tantric Buddhist sects were translated into Chinese in the early fourth century A.D. Srimitra, habitants of Pai Country (Kuccha, a white skin tribe), had translated a few scriptures on charms symbols, mystic sentences, some mantras, and verses praising the Deities and Saints. In reality they could not be considered as the representation of a high aspiration. The pure Secret Buddhism sect began with the following tantric masters, who came to China (between713-765 AD) during the Tang Dynasty.

He was once the king of Orissa; however he fled the throne and became a monk at Nalanda University. He studied Secret Doctrine with Nagabodhi, the 4th patriarch. He often traveled to the southern regions of India where Nagarjuna’s Doctrine of Emptiness was most popular. Subhakarasimha was proficient in the Emptiness doctrine and the Doctrine of “The Unique Dharma Realm” as well as having a profound understanding of yoga meditation techniques, the Dharanis and Mudras. He traveled to Kasmir and Tibet and arrived in Ch'an-An in 716 AD, the fourth year of the Tang Dynasty. The Emperor

Xuan Zong (685-762AD) received

him with great respect and made him “teacher of the state”. In 717 AD, he translated the Sutra of the Vajarasekhara Crown. He died at the age of ninety-nine.

At the same time Wu’ Xi'ng, a Chinese scholar, traveled to India and met Yi Jing (another Chinese scholar) in Nalanda. Wu’ Xi'ng had collected many Sanskrit scriptures but died on his way home. The documents he gathered were sent to the monastery of Avatamsaka in Ch'an-An. Having heard about the scriptures, Subhakarasimha selected some important ones and started translating the Mahavairocana Sutra and other scriptures in 725 and 726 AD with the help of a Chinese disciple.

At the time, whenever Subhakarasimha initiated the ceremony to preach the Dharma, he had the spiritual powers from the Buddhas to perform many miracles and converted many people to Buddhism.

B. Vajrabodhi (663-723AD)

Vajrabodhi was from southern India. He too came from a princely family. He received religious training at Nalanda. At the age of 15, he went to West India to study the treatise on human's intelligence for four years with Dharmakirti, and went back to Nalanda to receive the great precepts. He diligently studied the laws (Vinaya) and essay on the Middle Path (Madhayamira) for six years with Santabodi. For the next three years he studied the doctrine of forms and researched on the Yogachna essay of Asangha, on Intellectualism (Viynaptimara) of Vasubandhu, and the debate on the middle path essay of An Hui, together with Jinadhadra (Madhyantavibhaya of Sthimati Bodhisattva) in the city of Kapilavastu in North India. Seven years later he researched on the Vajrasekhara Sutra and other secret scriptures from Nagabodhi in South India.

In 720 AD, Vajrabodhi arrived by way of the South Sea with Amogha and his disciples to Ch'an-An, the capital of the Tang Dynasty now called Xi 'An. Obeying the imperial decree, he had altars put up in two temples for the celebration of initiation ceremonies. He translated many secret scriptures, such as Vajrasekhara Sutra and others. His scriptures contained many terms from the Doctrine of Form. Every time he set up the altars and preached the Dharma, miraculous things happened. He could cause rain to fall, give orders to Gods and Demons, and eliminate disasters. Such performances were said to be his normal routine.

C. Amoghavajra (705-774 AD)

Amoghavajra, from northern India, was an outstanding disciple of Vajrabodhi. He was a novice at the age of 15 when he came to Canton, and with his teacher, he traveled to Luo Yang. He received the Great Precepts at the age of 20. In twelve years he developed a complete understanding of the doctrine of form, both in theory and in reality. After finishing his study with Vajrabodhi, he continued to learn about the Garbhakosa Mandala with Subhakarasimha.

After the death of Vajrabodhi, he left China and returned to Ceylon, India where he met the renowned Nagabodhi who initiated him into the secret doctrine. He looked for more Sutras and received more scriptures on Yoga. He often consulted with talented scholars in Secret doctrine in India. He went with his students, altogether 37 people, to see the Dharma Master Samantabhadra and researched the Doctrine of Vayra-SekharaYoga and Mahavairocana-Gharbhakusa. He then returned to Ch'an-An, bringing with him a wealth of Sutras.

Amoghavajra was the personal teacher of the Emperor

Vajrabodhi during three successive dynasties: Tang Xuan Zong, Su Zong and Dai Zong. He translated 110 sets of scriptures, composed of 143 books, including the most important “Vajrasekhara Sutra”.

These are the scriptures that the Italian professor Tucci and the Japanese professor Ono simultaneously discovered. Professor Tucci had found the Sanskrit version in Tibet and professor Ono brought it to light. The explanation of the Sutra was in pictures, and Zhi` Zho`ng (a Japanese monk), brought it back from China in 853 AD. The discoveries from the two erudite professors had determined the uniqueness of Secret Buddhism in China, Tibet and Japan.

D. I-Xing (683-727)

Ichigyo was proficient in the Three Treatises, meditation, T’ienT’ai doctrine, and the science of horoscope calendar. He once helped Subhakarasimha translate the “Mahavairocana Sutra”. From listening to the explanations of his teacher, he was able to write explanations about this Sutra, which was called Mahavairocana Sutra Expose. It was composed of twenty books and was considered the essential sacred books of Secret Buddhism. It contained many teachings of the T’ien-T’ai sect, as he was an erudite scholar on T'ien T'ai's philosophy. The text was transmitted without revision until Zhi`Ya'n, who was a student of both Subharkarasimha and Wen Gu`, a disciple of Vajrabodhi, revised it and named it the “Meanings of Mahavairocana Sutra”. The eastern Secret Buddhism continued to use the initial unedited scriptures while the T’ien-T’ai sect used the edited one.