Possessing Enlightenment: Sorcery, Selfhood, and Tragic Responsibility in a Chinese Buddhist Apocryphon

Abstract This article explores how the Lengyan jing , or Śūrangama Sūtra – an apocryphal Buddhist scripture written in China around 705 CE remapped Chinese understandings of moral responsibility consequential ways. Although grounded orthodox doctrinal premise that all sentient beings innately possess buddha-nature, is punctuated by warnings about danger even most earnest seekers enlightenment might be possessed demons, embark on evil behavior, and end up fully demonic. Such depart from longstanding norms ethics, according to which for fault measured terms a person’s intentions. Instead, I argue articulates logic what Sandra Macpherson calls “tragic responsibility.” informed important but overlooked aspects soteriological vision found key texts Chan (Japanese Zen) tradition, rose prominence centuries following ’s composition.