Composed in China, Circulated in Asia: The Dissemination Landscape of the Apocryphal Scripture Bayang jing 八陽經 and the Causal Dynamics Behind It

Copies of the Foshuo tiandi bayang shenzhou jing 佛説天地八陽神咒經 (Scripture of the Divine Spell of the Eightfold Yang of Heaven and Earth Spoken by the Buddha) (hereafter Bayang jing) recovered from Dunhuang, Turfan, Khara-Khoto, and other regions demonstrate that this scripture was one of the most popular Chinese compositions in Dunhuang and its surrounding areas during the Tang and Song dynasties (618–1279). Medieval manuscripts of the Bayang jing are also preserved in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. By collecting and analyzing manuscripts of this scripture discovered in Dunhuang and the Central Plains, and material found in transmitted texts and folk sources, this paper supplements the understanding of the extensive circulation and profound influence of this scripture in China. The widespread dissemination of the Bayang jing is primarily attributable to four factors: its pragmatic adaptation to secular concerns, which addressed the needs of devotees; its translations and textual modifications, which enhanced its disseminative potency; its diversification of formats, which expanded transmission pathways; and its integration into ritual contexts, which sustained its vitality. The dissemination of this Chinese indigenous composition epitomizes the disseminative potency and vitality of Chinese Buddhism.