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Azhaliism (), also known as Dianmi or Baimi, is a Vajrayana Buddhism religion practiced among the Bai people of Yunnan, China. The name comes from lay tantric priests called azhali (Sanskrit: acharyas) who are key figures in the religion, known for their use of spells and mantras.Orzech, Charles D. (general editor) (2011). Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia. Brill, page 381.
In 851, an inscription in Jianchuan dedicated images to Maitreya and Amitabha. The Nanzhao king Quanfengyou commissioned Chinese architects from the Tang dynasty to build the Three Pagodas. The last king of Nanzhao established Buddhism as the official state religion. In the Nanzhao Tushu juan, the Nanzhao Buddhist elite are depicted with light skin whereas the people who oppose Buddhism are depicted as short and dark skinned.
Azhali is considered a sect of Tantrism or esoteric Buddhism with hybrid traditions showing Chinese, Tibetan and Burmese influences.Orzech, Charles D. (general editor) (2011). Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia. Brill, page 379. This tradition was also the major religion of the Dali Kingdom (937–1253). Acharya itself means guru or teacher in Sanskrit. According to Azhali practices among the Bai people, acharyas were allowed to marry and have children. The position of acharya was hereditary. The acharyas became state mentors in Nanzhao and held great influence until the Mongol conquest of China in the 13th century, during which the acharyas called upon various peoples to resist the Mongol rulers and later the Chinese during the Ming conquest of Yunnan. Zhu Yuanzhang banned the dissemination of Azhali Buddhism for a time before setting up an office to administer the religion.India China Encyclopedia Vol. 1 (2014), p. 151
The area had a strong connection with Tantric Buddhism, which has survived to this dayMegan Bryson, "Baijie and the Bai: Gender and Ethnic Religion in Dali, Yunnan", Asian Ethnology 72, 2013, pp. 3-31 at Jianchuan and neighboring areas. The worship of Guanyin and Mahākāla is very different from other forms of Chinese Buddhism.Megan Bryson, "Mahākāla worship in the Dali kingdom (937-1253) – A study and translation of the Dahei tianshen daochang yi", Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 35, 2012, pp. 3-69 Nanzhao likely had strong religious connections with the Pagan Kingdom in what is today Myanmar, as well as Tibet and Bengal (see Pala Empire).Thant Myint-U, Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia, Part 3
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