Exploring Four Block-Printed Indic Script Mahāpratisarā Dhāraṇī (Chinese: 大随求陀罗尼) Amulets Discovered in China

This study examines four block-printed Indic-script Mahāpratisarā Dhāraṇī amulets from the late Tang to early Song periods, revealing a more complex history of dhāraṇī practices in China than previously understood. By analysing seed syllables and Indic scripts on the Xu Yin, Li Zhi-Shun, Ruiguang Si, and Hangzhou amulets, it highlights their ritual, symbolic, and textual significance. The findings challenge assumptions that these texts were static, showing instead their evolution across time and space. This research opens new directions for understanding Chinese Buddhist practice through dhāraṇī materiality, language, and visual culture.