Derived from the verbal root "a-vis"(to enter), the Sanskrit noun "avesa" means "entering." And Tantric Buddhists often use it as a technical term. Then, who "enters" in their texts? In Tantric Buddhism, the personified truth is called "Mahavairocana" (the great sun), and it is this Mahavairocana that is expected to enter the mind of a Tantric applicant. The word "avesa is transcribed in Chinese as "阿尾奢" [a-biu?i-∫ia]. Paying no attention to the original meaning of the word, however, the Chinese developed their own story, in which a superhuman enters the body of a child and prophesies the future. The Indian initiation of a Tantric trainee is converted into an augury performance in China. Having adopted the Chinese loan word "阿尾奢," the Japanese utilized it as a form of medical treatment. In order to cure a patient of a disease, they bring a child so that a zyaki (邪氣 evil spirit) may enter its body. Trapped in the small body of the child, the spirit suffers a great deal and runs away. Then, the patient is free from the disease. The Indian word "avesa" has travelled through China to Japan. However, this does not mean that Buddhist Tantrism has made the same journey.
