Buddhist astrology and astral magic in the Tang Dynasty
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Abstract
This study surveys the\nintroduction of astrology into East Asia with a primary focus on the Buddhist\nexperience of Indian and Iranian astrology during the eighth and ninth centuries.\nIt is argued that prior to the introduction of Esoteric Buddhism during the 8th\ncentury, the Chinese sangha had no pressing need to observe astrology. However,\nfollowing the rising popularity of Tantric rituals, which require proper timing\naccording to non-Chinese astrological conventions, Chinese Buddhism took a deep\ninterest in astrology. This in turn prompted a wider interest in astrology\namong Chinese elites, encouraging the translation of more foreign works on\nastrology, even outside of a Buddhist context. It is shown that around the year\n800 there was a shift from Indian to Iranian sources of astrology, most likely\nas a result of ethnic Iranians working at court. Iranian astrology, which\nincluded a rich system of horoscopy rooted in the earlier Hellenistic\ntradition, prompted a booming popular interest in astrology. Buddhists\nsubsequently took up practice of horoscopy for themselves. Chinese Buddhist\nastrology was then exported to neighboring countries, most notably Japan where\nit influenced medieval religious and court cultures.