Azhaliism

The Xingjiao Temple in Shaxi is a Ming dynasty Buddhist temple of the Bai people

Azhaliism (Chinese: 阿吒力教 Āzhālìjiào) is a Vajrayana Buddhist religion practiced among the Bai people of Yunnan, China.[1][2] The name comes from lay tantric priests called azhali (Sanskrit: acharyas) who are key figures in the religion, known for their use of spells and mantras.[3]

The tradition was founded by an Indian acharya named Candragupta who traveled to the kingdom of Nanzhao (653–902) from Tibet in 839.[4] It is a hybrid tradition showing Chinese, Tibetan and Burmese influences.[5]

This tradition was also the major religion of the Dali Kingdom (937–1253). Key deities in this tradition include Mahakala (known locally as 'Black Sky god') and Acuoye Guanyin. The Shibaoshan (Stone Treasure Mountain) grottoes, about 10km north of Shaxi, Yunnan, are examples of the art of this Vajrayana tradition.[6]

The tradition faced several challenges during Yuan and Qing rule (such as being banned in 1507 and competition from Han Buddhist schools like Chan) but it continues as a living religion today.[7]

See also

Citations

References

  1. ↑ Huang & Zhang (2013).
  2. ↑ Wu & 2011 (441).
  3. ↑ Orzech, Charles D. (general editor) (2011). Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia. Brill, page 381.
  4. ↑ Hearn, Maxwell K. and Smith, Judith G. Arts of the Sung and Yuan: Papers prepared for an international symposium organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibition Splendors of Imperial China: Treasures from the National Palace Museum, Teipei, page 239.
  5. ↑ Orzech, Charles D. (general editor) (2011). Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia. Brill, page 379.
  6. ↑ Esoteric Buddhism in the Dali region, http://www.shaxichina.com/pray/buddhism-in-shaxi.htm
  7. ↑ Esoteric Buddhism in the Dali region, http://www.shaxichina.com/pray/buddhism-in-shaxi.htm

Sources

  • Huang, Zhengliang; Zhang, Xilu (2013). "Research Review of Bai Esoteric Buddhist Azhali Religion Since the 20th Century". Journal of Dali University.
  • Wu, Jiang (2011). Enlightenment in Dispute: The Reinvention of Chan Buddhism in Seventeenth-Century China. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199895562.
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