For centuries the performance of rituals has been one of the most common, complex, remunerative, and controversial activities in Chinese Buddhism. This article lays out the contours of the contemporary Chinese Buddhist “ritual field,” focusing on rituals called “Dharma assemblies” (fahuiġ 法會) in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Based on a selection of announcements and ritual schedules posted in monasteries during 2009-2013, I show which rituals are performed and how they are marketed. I also show when and how frequently certain rituals linked to the annual cycle of festivals are performed, and analyze and suggest categorization schemas for the rituals. Finally, I discuss the relationships between ritual activities on the one hand and commercial activity, monastic revenue, and seminary studies on the other. Annotated translations of six announcements and ritual schedules, followed by transcriptions of the source Chinese texts for these translations, are included in the appendixes.
目次
Introduction to the Translated Texts 63 Rituals Listed in the Translated Texts 64 Categorization of the Rituals 66 Analysis of Broader Contexts 72 Selection and Representativeness of the Translated Texts 72 Other Common Ritual Goods and Services 80 Summary and Discussion of the Broader Relevance of Buddhist Ritual Life to Monasticism 84 Appendix 1: Translated Texts 92 Appendix 2: Chinese Source Texts 114
