Although many huge buddhist pagodas in Liao dyansty have Esoteric Buddhist icons on their surfaces, the iconography of Eight Great Spiritual Stupas has not been studied yet. Here I have examined the iconography of Eight Great Spiritual Stupas which was represented as the eight small pagodas on the surface of the great pagoda in Liao dynasty derived from the Buddhist text “Dacheng-benseng-xindiguanjing” and also the origin of the iconography. Eight Great Spiritual Stupas were originated from the legend of the Eight Great stupas which were constructed in Eight Great Buddhist Sacred Sites in India and therefore deeply related with the pilgrimage and worship of these sites. These Eight Great Sites of India are Lumbinī, Bodhgayā, Sārnāth, Kuśinagara, Śrāvastī, Sānkāśya, Vaiśālī, and Rājgir. The Eight Great Spiritual Stupas in Liao Dyansty follow the same composition except for the replacement of Lumbinī with Kapilavastu. The worship of these Sites in China began in the early eight century through the arrival of the Esoteric Buddhist Monks from India and their new translations of Esoteric Buddhist Sutras. Many Korean and Chinese Monks went to India for pilgrimages in these sites. Since those East Asian monks recognised these sacred sites with their own eyes, so the meanings and names of these sites were slightly changed. As the names of the eight small pagodas in Liao pagodas follow the names from Dacheng-benseng-xindiguanjing in Chinese translation, this iconography of eight small pagodas is the original style of the Liao Esoteric Buddhist art. More than twenty pagodas of Liao Dynasty show the representation of the iconography of the Eight Great Spiritual Stupas. According to the types of the small pagodas, they can be divided into four groups. The first group has a set of eight small square-planed pagodas, and the second group has a set of eight small multi-storied pagodas with polygonal plan. The third group has a set of eight dharani pillars with the inscriptions of the stupa names. The last groups has only one set of inscriptions of the stupa names without pagoda shapes. These representations of the Eight Great Spiritual Stupas in Liao dynasty have been changed into the meaningless sublime decorations of Great Pagodas in later times. This iconography of the Eight Great Spiritual Stupas in Dacheng-benseng- xindiguanjing was developed and very popular especially in Liaoning Province (遼寧省) in China. This was related to the distribution route of the sutra itself. This sutra was translated in Changan (長安) in the early ninth century but never popular in Chinse Buddhism. But it was transmitted to Balhae (渤海, Bohai in chinese) and Japan by a monk Jeongso (貞素) from Balhae. Liaoning was a border district between Tang and Balhae, and many refugees of Balhae came here after the fall of their nation. So the idea of this sutra would have been transmitted in Liao dynasty through Balhae Buddhism, and the iconography of the Eight Great Spiritual Stupas could have been created and prevailed in this area in Liao dyansty. This sutra is very important sutra not only to understand the Buddhism of Liao and the special iconography of the Liao Buddhist arts but also to reveal the relationship between Balhae and Liao Buddhism.

Although many huge buddhist pagodas in Liao dyansty have Esoteric Buddhist icons on their surfaces, the iconography of Eight Great Spiritual Stupas has not been studied yet. Here I have examined the iconography of Eight Great Spiritual Stupas which was represented as the eight small pagodas on the surface of the great pagoda in Liao dynasty derived from the Buddhist text “Dacheng-benseng-xindiguanjing” and also the origin of the iconography. Eight Great Spiritual Stupas were originated from the legend of the Eight Great stupas which were constructed in Eight Great Buddhist Sacred Sites in India and therefore deeply related with the pilgrimage and worship of these sites. These Eight Great Sites of India are Lumbinī, Bodhgayā, Sārnāth, Kuśinagara, Śrāvastī, Sānkāśya, Vaiśālī, and Rājgir. The Eight Great Spiritual Stupas in Liao Dyansty follow the same composition except for the replacement of Lumbinī with Kapilavastu. The worship of these Sites in China began in the early eight century through the arrival of the Esoteric Buddhist Monks from India and their new translations of Esoteric Buddhist Sutras. Many Korean and Chinese Monks went to India for pilgrimages in these sites. Since those East Asian monks recognised these sacred sites with their own eyes, so the meanings and names of these sites were slightly changed. As the names of the eight small pagodas in Liao pagodas follow the names from Dacheng-benseng-xindiguanjing in Chinese translation, this iconography of eight small pagodas is the original style of the Liao Esoteric Buddhist art. More than twenty pagodas of Liao Dynasty show the representation of the iconography of the Eight Great Spiritual Stupas. According to the types of the small pagodas, they can be divided into four groups. The first group has a set of eight small square-planed pagodas, and the second group has a set of eight small multi-storied pagodas with polygonal plan. The third group has a set of eight dharani pillars with the inscriptions of the stupa names. The last groups has only one set of inscriptions of the stupa names without pagoda shapes. These representations of the Eight Great Spiritual Stupas in Liao dynasty have been changed into the meaningless sublime decorations of Great Pagodas in later times. This iconography of the Eight Great Spiritual Stupas in Dacheng-benseng- xindiguanjing was developed and very popular especially in Liaoning Province (遼寧省) in China. This was related to the distribution route of the sutra itself. This sutra was translated in Changan (長安) in the early ninth century but never popular in Chinse Buddhism. But it was transmitted to Balhae (渤海, Bohai in chinese) and Japan by a monk Jeongso (貞素) from Balhae. Liaoning was a border district between Tang and Balhae, and many refugees of Balhae came here after the fall of their nation. So the idea of this sutra would have been transmitted in Liao dynasty through Balhae Buddhism, and the iconography of the Eight Great Spiritual Stupas could have been created and prevailed in this area in Liao dyansty. This sutra is very important sutra not only to understand the Buddhism of Liao and the special iconography of the Liao Buddhist arts but also to reveal the relationship between Balhae and Liao Buddhism.

八大靈塔 (Eight Great Spiritual Stupa), 朝陽北塔 (Chaoyang North Pagoda), 八大聖地 (Eight Great Sacred Sites), 密敎 (Esoteric Buddhism), 大乘本生心地觀經 (Dacheng-benseng- xindiguanjing), 渤海 (Balhae)