The Longmen Grottoes are among the three largest groups of grottoes with carved Buddhist images in China.There are 2,345 caves/niches and most of them were made during the early Tang dynasty(AD 618—907).The esoteric images in the Longmen Grottoes are classic examples of orthodox Buddhist culture and art in the area east of the Tang capital Luoyang,and hold a high position in the history of Chinese esoteric Buddhism. This article comprises three parts.Firstly,based on first-hand material,the author presents a thorough survey of the esoteric sites and images of the early Tang Dynasty in the Longmen Grottoes.These include the northern and southern caves at Leigutai:the Gaopingjunwang Cave;the small cave of Mahavairocana;the niche of thousand-handed Guan-yin;the small cave of thousand-hand Guan-yin on east mountain;the small cave of multi-armed Guan yin;and the newly discovered small niche of Mahavairocana on west mountain.The author also includes a report on an important sutra pillar located on east mountain. Secondly,in the light of Buddhist documents and other extant material,the author deciphers the subjects,function and significance of the esoteric sculptures in the Longmen Grottoes,such as Mahavairocana,thousand-hand Guan-yin,and eleven faced Guan-yin. Thirdly,the authors discusses systematically the origin,historical background and position of Longmen esoteric art,including esoteric art’s sources in India,its development in the west capital Chang’an(modern Xi’an),and it’s influence on other regions in the early Tang dynasty.This article is a noticeable contribution to the study of the history of Chinese esoteric Buddhist art.
