Chinese and Tibetan Sources on the Dhāraṇī in Roll Seven of the *Śūraṃgama-sūtra

Abstract

ABSTRACT My research here concerns roll seven of the apocryphal Shoulengyan jing 首楞嚴經 [*Śūraṃgama-sūtra, Book of the Hero’s March] (T no. 945) because it contains the Lengyan zhou 楞嚴呪 [*Śūraṃgama spell], which is used in the Lengyan Assembly today in Chinese, South Korean and Japanese Buddhist monasteries on an annual basis. The presence of the *Śūraṃgama spell confirms for some scholars the authenticity of the Shoulengyan jing, as opposed to its status as an apocryphal composition in China. In this article I investigate both premodern Chinese and Tibetan sources regarding the dhāraṇī in roll seven of the Shoulengyan jing to bolster the argument that this scripture ought to be considered an apocryphon, and that the question of who composed the Shoulengyan jing remains problematic.