Iranian Elements in Late-Tang Buddhist Astrology

The study and practice of foreign astrology — both Indian and Iranian — became popularized and widespread in Tang-dynasty China during the eighth and ninth centuries. It was integrated into Buddhism and Daoism and exerted an influence on Tang literature. Although foreign astrology as it was practiced by Buddhists in eighth-century China was predominately Indian, by the ninth century it was increasingly a hybrid of Indian and other foreign elements. This study surveys the apparent Iranian influence in Chinese astrology in this period.