Abstract: As a significant cultural region in northern China, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, with its unique geographical location and historical-cultural background, has provided favorable conditions for the spread and development of Esoteric Buddhism of Chinese Tradition. Esoteric Buddhist architecture in this region exhibits distinct localized characteristics, making it a valuable sample for studying religious dissemination and adaptive architectural design. Due to the profound and abstruse doctrines of Esoteric Buddhism, coupled with the widespread tendency of integration between Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism after the Tang Dynasty, many Esoteric Buddhist buildings were often integrated into the system of Exoteric Buddhist temples, and their characteristics gradually became vague and indistinguishable. This study takes the mandala cosmic schema as its theoretical framework, integrates methodologies such as iconological analysis, textual research, and field investigation, and systematically examines the spatial practice and formal evolution of Esoteric Buddhist architecture in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region by sorting out the development context and regional transformation characteristics of such architecture.
Keywords: Esoteric Buddhist architecture; Type comparison; Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei; Cultural integration; Mandala; Vajra world
