An Esoteric Alternative: Maitreya in the Chinese Commentary on the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi

Like other bodhisattvas, Maitreya is a figure in the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi (大日經), a major Mantrayāna text that in 724 was translated by Yixing 一行 (673–727) and Śubhakarasiṃha 善無 畏 (637–735). Yixing subsequently produced a commentary on the text based on the oral teachings of Śubhakarasiṃha. The commentary is unique in that it provides a direct interpretation of both the text and accompanying maṇḍala by a major Indian monk. This paper will first discuss the role of Maitreya in the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi, before moving on to the commentary and extant visual representations of the figure in the related maṇḍala. The symbolic interpretation of Maitreya in these contexts evolved from earlier Mahāyāna and Āgama literatures, but took on new elements. We can better understand the early reworking of established lore in Mantrayāna through examining Maitreya in the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi as it was transmitted to China.