This paper discusses scripture deposits made in the Northeast and the Southeast of China from the tenth to the early twelfth century. These scripture deposits were mostly made in above ground rooms on top of or inside the central column of pagodas. These deposits can be divided into two groups on the grounds of their religious significance and function. One is made up of sutra burials aimed at preserving the Law in preparation for the mofa period. The other group consists of the enshrinement of the Buddha’s dharma-body in form of scriptures. The Liao scripture deposits include both groups. Thus pagodas did not function only as a burial and monument for the sariras, but actually realized the presence of the Buddha at the very spot of their construction. Unlike the Liao, the scripture deposits in Southeast China show less concern with venerating the dharma Law, nor do they show the same anxiety for preserving the Law, although they may have borrowed some formal features of the Liao relic deposits. Abundant inscriptions show that scriptures were offered as gifts to accumulate merit and to build personal links with the invisible. Therefore, relic deposits functioned like storerooms for precious gifts of scriptures, and deposits of scriptures inside pagodas were intended to save up these gifts in safe and secure places in order to preserve the relationship with the invisible thus built. As a further contribution to the discussion, the last section of the paper looks at the features that were shared by scripture deposits in Liao territory, Korea, Japan, and Southeast China to examine some links between them which were established via sea routes. The similarities between Liao, Korean, and Japanese scripture deposits reveal a Buddhist culture in which preservation of the dharma Law and veneration of scriptures were principal components. Meanwhile, scripture deposits in southeastern China share some features with those in Liao, Korea, and Japan. This fact probably resulted from frequent contact between these areas.
