Shuilu Fahui is a Buddhist rite for universal salvation which includes complex layers of ritual activities that use elements of all schools of Chinese Buddhism, such as mantras of Tantric Buddhism, the penances ritual of the school of Tian Tai (天台宗) and Amita-buddha's name chanting of the school of Pure Land (淨土宗).It could be dated as far back as the Tang Dynasty (around 670-673 C.E.) and was one ofthe most spectacular, and popular rituals in Chinese Buddhism. Shuilu Fahui is still performed in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore and continues to be very popular. The core spirit of this rite is universal salvation (pudu，普度)which is aimed to save the suffered sentient beings escape from wheel of rebirth (samsara，輪迴). This aim also is a core spirit of Chinese religions and it realized the religious demands of Chinese people. Moreover, Shuilu Fahui aimed to save the suffered sentient beings, especially the hungry ghosts. The Shuilu Fahui itself and this aim was an outstanding product of the interaction between Buddhism and Chinese culture. The most important point is that ritual is a large part of the practice of a faith rather than a belief. It is a mixture of faith, custom, tradition，art and culture. Furthermore, to examine the Shuilu fahui is the key to understand the practiced Chinese Buddhism in the monastic system and in the lay Buddhist level from Tang Dynasty to present day in Chinese areas, such as Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. This rite constructed an extreme system, tight religious world. It also contains the large and profound religious meanings.
