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THE GODSOF

NORTHERN BUDDHISM


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OXFOED UNIVEESITY PEESSLONDON EDINBURGH GLASGOW NEW YORK

TORONTO MELBOURNE BOMBAYHUMPHREY MILFOED M.A.

PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY


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THE GODSOF

THEIR MISTOI

-50 YJHM388A HO WlR-gOO sTOXFORDAT T H E C L A R.E N 1) O ! V H K ^191 t


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THE GODSOFBUDDHISM

THEIR HISTORY, ICONOGRAPHY AND PROGRESSIVEEVOLUTION THROUGH THE NORTHERN

BUDDHIST COUNTRIESBY

WITH A GENERAL INTRODUCTION ON BUDDHISMTRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF

J. DENIKERDOCTEUR ES SCIENCESILLUSTKATIONS FEOM THE COLLECTION OF

HENRY H. GETTY

OXFORDAT THE CLARENDON PRESS1914


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AUTHOR S PREFACEIT is difficult for those who are unacquainted with the iconography of the gods

of the Mahayana Pantheon to realize the degree of interest that may be attachedto even a crude representation of a Northern Buddhist divinity.

To the uninitiated the images of these deities are only of value as works of art,or as grotesque curios, with their various heads and many arms ; but to the initiated,apart from their artistic merit, they furnish an almost inexhaustible fund for studyand research.

The most accurate source of information in regard to the Northern Buddhistdivinities has been found in the sadliana, or texts of invocations of the gods, in whichthey are described with much detail. Unfortunately, sadhana of all the gods ofthe Mahayana Pantheon have not as yet been discovered, and there remain a numberof deities about whom very little is known. At any moment, however, a flood of lightmay be thrown on these obscure divinities, for, among others, Mr. Ekai Kawaguchi(a Japanese Buddhist priest who spent three years in Tibet disguised as a Chinesemonk) is translating some valuable manuscripts which he succeeded in carrying outof Tibet,

The study of the iconography of the Northern Buddhist deities is therefore in itsinfancy. With the exception of a few erudite books, little has been written on thesubject, and it is only by persistent research, and by a comparative study of theexamples in the museums of Europe, India, and Japan, as well as in the temples of theNorthern Buddhist countries, that one can arrive at a comprehensive knowledgeof these gods and of their evolution during the process of transmission from India viaChinese Turkestan (and later, through Tibet) to China, Mongolia, and Japan.The Tibetan and Mongolian lamas, from whom one would expect to getmuch valuable information, are, unfortunately, with few exceptions, more versedin the tenets of their religion than in the iconography of their gods : and as Tibet isstill a forbidden land , intercourse with the Tibetan lamas in their own countryis practically impossible. Among the Japanese Buddhist priests, however, there aresome very learned men.

Through the kindness of the late Professor Arthur Lloyd, whose death hasrecently deprived Japan of one of its greatest authorities on Japanese Buddhism,I was put into communication with Mr. S. Tachibana, Buddhist priest and Sanskritscholar, who has kindly made many researches for me. I have also to thank SramanaKawaguchi of Benares, Sramana Jeshu Oda, Rector of the Chomoj iMonastery atNagoya,and Mr. Hanazono of Tokyo, for their help in making certain researches possible.


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VI

I owe special thanks to M. A. Foucher for his kindness in reading throughmy manuscript and, as I am not a Sanskrit scholar, in revising the marking ofthe letters in the Sanskrit words used in the text. I am also much indebted tohim, as well as to Sir Aurel Stein, explorer in Central Asia, to Herr von Le Coq,explorer in Chinese Turkestan and attached to the Museum fiir Yolkerkunde, Berlinas well as to Mr. E. Denison Ross, officer in charge of the Records of the Governmentof India, and philological secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, for their kindnessin giving me opportunities of studying Buddhist temple paintings, frescoes, andminiatures which are not accessible to the general public.My initiation into the intricacies of the Mahayana system I owe to M. J.Deniker, whose general study on the vast and complicated doctrine of Buddhism inits various ramifications will form a sufficient introduction to the subject for thegeneral reader, and will enable him to approach with a fair measure of equipment thedetailed discussion of the individual deities, their symbols and characteristics, foundin the following pages.

I place my book under the protection of the goddess Sarasvati. May she inspireher consort Maiijusrl to draw his sword of Wisdom and < cleave the clouds ofIgnorance so that in time the West may come to a clearer understanding of the East.

A. GETTY.PARIS, March 1913.


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CONTENTS PAGEAuthor s Preface ... vIntroduction . . xvii

I. Adi-Buddha 1II. Buddhas . ... .8

III. Dhyani-Buddhas ... 25IV. Dhyani-Bodhisattva ... 42V. Vajrapani . 47VI. Avalokitesvara . 52VII. Kwan-shi-yin . . 67

VIII. Kwan-non . 77IX. Maiijusri .... 95X. Feminine Divinities , 102XL Yi-dam . .123XII. Dharmapfila . .130

XIII. Kuvera . . . 138XIV. Minor Gods . .147XV. Historical Personages deified . .147

Ts ogs-Sin (Tsok-shin) . . . .160Chronological Table . . . .163Explanations of the Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian, and

Japanese words used in the Text . 164Bibliography . .183Index . 187


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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONSPLATE FACING PAGE

Temple banner: Ts ogs-sin or assembly of divinities. (In colours.) Tibetan.Frontispiece. (Key to tbe Ts ogs-sin facing- p. 162.)

I. Gautama Buddha. Bronze gilt ; height 27 in. Presented to Ilenrv II. Gettyby II.R.H. Prince Damrong of Siam. (In colours.) ... 1

II. a. Dai-nichi-nyorai. Wood, lacquered ; height 10 in. Japanese.I. Vajradhara. Copper gilt ; heig-ht 6 in. Tibetan.c. Akshobhya. Bronze, silver inlaid ; height 6^ in. Tibetan.fl. Akshobhya. Copper gilt ; height 6 in. Tibetan..... 2III. .. Amitayus. Clay ; height 4 in. Found in the Honan, China.I. Gautama Buddha. Clay ; height 4-| in. Presented to Henry II. Getty byH.R.H. Prince Damrong of Siam.c. Vajradhara. Wood, lacquered ; height 5^ in. Tibetan (?).d. Manjusri. Clay ; height 4^ in. Found in the Honan, China ... 2

IV. a. Kongdsatta. Wood ; height 6 in. Japanese.b. Kongosatta. Wood, painted ; height 7 in. Japanese.c. Vajrasattva, Bronze ; height 4 in. Tibetan.d. Esoteric Buddha. Ivory ; height 2 in. From Gyantse, Tibet ... 6V. a. Samvara (?) in a shrine. Wood, painted, exterior gold lacquer; height 4 in.Japanese.I. Aizen-myd-o in a pocket shrine. Sandal-wood, cover red lacquer ; height 2 in.c. Kwan-non on a lion, Kongosatta on an elephant, pocket shrine. Sandal-wood painted, exterior gold lacquer ; height 3^ in. Japanese . . 6

VI. a, Gautama Buddha seated on a five-headed serpent. Steel ; height 3^ in. Cambodia. Presented to Henry H. Getty by H.R.H. Prince Damrong of Siam.

b. Gautama Buddha. Bronze ; height 4 in. Singalese,c. Dlpankara Buddha. Bronze ; height 20 in. Siamese.d. Gautama Buddha speaking his first words. Bronze ; height 6 in. Chinese (?). 9VII. Gautama Buddha (first bath given by the Nag-as). Bronze gilt ; height11 in. Chinese ........... 10VIII. a. Gautama Buddha. Wood, carved with gold leaf; height 11 in. Siamese.b. Gautama Buddha. Wood, covered with gold leaf ; height 22 in. Burmese (?).c. Gautama Buddha. Gold lacquer ; height 23 in. Burmese.d. Gautama Buddha. Silver; height 4| in. Siamese 11IX. Gautama Buddha. Bronze ; hair and draperies, silver ; mouth, eyes and cars,

enamel; height 8-| in. Tibetan (?) ... . .14X. a. Gautama Buddha, ascetic. Wood ; height 3 in. Japanese.b. Gautama Buddha, ascetic. Wood ; height 4 in. Japanese.c. Gautama Buddha, ascetic. Bronze ; height 2^ in. Japanese.d. Gautama Buddha, ascetic. Bamboo-root ; height 4 in. Japanese. . 16


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PLATEXI. a.

I.

XII. a.

b.

c.XIII. a.

(1.

XIV.XV. a.

b.c.(L

XVI.XVII.XVIII. a.

I.c.d.

XIX. .b.

XX.XXI. a.

b.

c.d.

XXII.XXIII. a.

b.c.d.

Slate ; height 8 in. Cam-height 24 in. Indian.

FACING PAGEBuddha. Bronze ; height 15^ in. Jain.Gautama Buddha seated on a seven-headed Nftga.

bodian.Head of Gautama Buddha, Gandhura School. Slate

Presented to the author by Mme. Michel. 18The Parinirvana of the Buddha. Wood, gold lacquer, and painted shrine ;

height 10 in. Japanese.MafijusrI. Wood ; height 1-| in. Stand and cover of flaming pearl, gold

lacquer. Japanese.JunteiKwan-non. Wood, gold lacquer, painted shrine ; height 10 in. Japanese. 22Stupa containing prayers. Wood, painted ; height 18 in. From the Horyuji

temple, Nara. One of the miniature stupas ordered by the EmpressKoken Tenno in the twelfth century and presented to the temple.Gautama Buddha. Clay plaque with Chinese characters at the back, ninthcentury.

Stupa. Stone ; height 8 in. Presented to Henry H. Getty by the Mahant ofBodh -Gaya.The Parinirvana of the Buddha. Stone ; height 10 in. Fragment from Bodh -Gaya 24

Maitreya on a Lion Throne. Bronze gilt ; height 10 in. Tibetan . . 25Maitreya, Bronze with turquoise ornaments ; height 3 in. Tibetan.Maitreya. Bronze ; height 3 in. Tibetan.

Tibetan.Tibetan .

Maitreya. Bronze ; height 5 in.Amitayus. Bronze ; height 5 in.Mandala (Garbhadhatu)The Thirteen Shin-on Buddhas. Bronze

Wood, gold lacquer ; height 3| in.height 7 in.Japanese.

JapaneseAmida.Amida. Wood, gold lacquer ; height 5 in. Japanese.Amitayus. Bronze gilt, turquoise ornaments ; height 9 in. Tibetan.Amitayus. Bronze gilt ; height 3 in. TibetanNaga lamp. Bronze; height 11 in. Indian.Amitayus. Bronze ; height 10 in. Tibetan.Manjusrl (or Avalokita ?). Bronze gilt with turquoise ornaments ; height 11 in.

Nepalese.Buddhist emblematic vase. Copper gilt with mother-of-pearl ornaments ;

height 15 in. Tibetan.....Dogmatic form of Avalokitesvara. Bronze gilt with jewel ornaments ; height30 in. Tibetan or NepaleseAvalokitesvara. Bronze gilt ; height 3 in. Tibetan.Avalokitesvara. Bronze ; height 8 in. Chinese, with inscription at the backtoo effaced to decipher.Avalokitesvara, Bronze gilt ; height 4 in. Tibetan.Avalokitesvara. Bronze lacquer, face painted ; height 6 in. Tibetan .Avalokitesvara with twelve emanations. Bronze ; height 10 in. TibetanAvalokitesvara, Copper gilt : height 104, in. Tibetan.Avalokitesvara (?). Bronze ; height 5 in. Tibetan.Avalokitesvara (Amoghapasa). Bronze gilt ; height 14 in. Tibetan.Avalokitesvara. Bronze gilt ; height 17 in. Tibetan .

303234

38

40

46

4850

56


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XI 1 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONSPLATEXL.XLI. a.

b.c.(I.

XLII.XLT1I. a.

fj,

c.

XLIV. a.

XLV.XLVI. a.

b.XL VII. a .b.c.

(I.

XLVIII. a.b.

XLIX.L. a.

b.c.(I.

LI.

LII. ,6.c.d.

LIU. a.b.c.(I

LIV.LV.LVI. a.

b.c.

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