The use of dharani devoted to Kuan － yin and as protective talismans in a mixture of Hua － yen and Esoteric Buddhist faith , is a feature of the Buddhism of Silla , and of the Liao and Chin dynasties which controlled north － east China and the Fang － shan district . In Silla and presumably Koryô , according to the Samguk yusa , the “ seal text ", or at least the diagram , served as a talisman that “ for a thousand years will be a model , and people vied to treasure and wear it ". This practice continues on into the present day , even being used as a talisman to protect motorists ( I purchased one red seal diagram at Pusôk sa in November 1997 ) . It is used in Buddhist ritual , both as a chant and as the spatial sequence for processions , and it is widely found as a mark of good fortune in folk culture . The “ seal text " also performed a role as a seal of transmission , as from Ûisang to Chit ' ong .