A Study On Guhya-yana In Dunhuang During The Tibetan Occupation

During the period 781-848 CE, the Tibetans reigned Dunhuang, which witnessed the unprecedented development of Buddhism. The Tibetan occupants did not suppress, but rather encouraged the Buddhist movement, particularly the Huhya Yana sect. Since it is most related to the secular world, Guhya Yana acquired its rapidest advance, the various doctrines swarming into Dunhuang from such Guhya regions as India and Nepal. The dissemination of Guhya Yana in Dunhuang helped interrupt the tradition of Chinese Buddhism as the only unifying force and thus Buddhist pluralism began to emerge, from which many valuable relics have come to the present day.The present dissertation documents the large body of materials related to the Guhya Yana sect that flourished in Dunhuang during the Tibetan occupation and, based on the many files, in both Chinese and Tibetan, unearthed in the Mogao Grottoes, categorizes the Guhya icons found inside the Mogao Grottoes. With all this mind, the author conducts a comprehensive analysis of the Guhya Yana Buddhism in Dunhuang, concluding that the Guhyan yana during this period is typical of the late vidyadharani-yana, when vidyadharani-yana itself was the dominant Buddhist force while dharani-yana prevailed alongside and mantra-yana and vajra-yana were just emerging. Meanwhile, Mahayoga and Anuttarayoga were also disseminated on a limited scale. Therefore, the Tibetan occupation period is a key turning point in the development of Guhya Yana.The paper also surveys the features of the mural paintings and sculptures, in the Mogao Grottoes, related to Guhya Yana, particularly the exotic characteristics as manifested in the artworks found in the caves, which are certainly evidences of the Polo and Nepal influences transformed by the Tibetan and the Chinese cultures. Particular attention is given to Cave 361, Temple of the Heavenly King, and the Gandhara icon, concluding that the images in Cave 361 are related to the Sutra of the Brahmanet, aimed to express repentance and the vinaya, the Temple of the Heavenly King is most probably a Samadhi altar, its building and rebuilding both related to the prevalence of the doctrine of the Decline.The paper alos surveys the relationship of Guhya Yana during the Tibetan occupation to other religious schools, such as the Chan School or Zen, the Lotus Sutra School, the Huayan School, the Pure Land School, the Consciousness-Only School and the Maitreya worship. And especially the inter-relations betewwn Guhya Yana and the various sects of Tibetan Buddhism. Considerable passages are also given to its relationship to the non-Buddhist religions, such as Taoism, the Bon, and the Nestorian Christianity. It is therefore evident that Guhya Yana during the Tibetan occupation is characterized by inclusiveness and complicatedness.The paper concludes with a summary of the influence of the Dunhuang Guhya Yana upon the Chinese history, namely, it functions as a transitional force that leads from the Tantrist Chinese Buddhism that has flourished from the High Tang Period to the plural development of Buddhism in the later Tang. It further points out the the Guhya Yana impact on the vinaya laws and the initiation of the secularizing trend of Buddhism in the later generations. Politically, Guhya Yana joined force with the government in an attempt to further reinforce its own influence.