Disquisition On Buddhist Singing In Chinese Buddhism

Buddhism originates from ancient India. It was introduced in China at the first century A.D., and it has a 2000 years' history now. Through all these long years, Buddhism blended with Chinese traditional culture gradually and realized its China turns thoroughly. An effulgent Chinese Buddhism was upbuilt. Extremely rich and colorful fruits were produced. Its influence even extended to other countries and regions in East Asia. It promoted the development and prosperity of national cultures in all countries. Up to the present, it's still used as an important culture carrier and plays a positive role in country-intercourse. Because Buddhism has infiltrated into the culture and thoughts in China in the round, the Chinese traditional culture was not pure Confucian culture but a mixture culture of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism from the Wei, Jin, and North and South dynasties. The comprehensive and profound influences of Buddhism in Chinese culture represent especially evidently in philosophy, language, literature and art.Buddhist Singing in Chinese Buddhism is a cross-course of Chinese Buddhism culture and traditional music culture of the Han nationality. It has its own system, particular form and abundant connotation. It's a perfect model of a combination of foreign religion and native culture art. The Buddhism singing, which means learning sutra by singing, is an indispensable part of Buddhist ceremony. Pious, clean, solemn and remote sound of Buddhist Singing has an extremely strong reform power. It trains the Buddhists to feel happy and deferential to Buddha and Bodhisattva and tocultivate an infinitely lenient heart to all flesh in the process of the Buddhist ceremony. Through these trainings, it educes the complete verity, sincerity, good and consciousness from Buddhists' hearts. It urges them imperceptibly to pursue the moral perfection and the spirit loftiness through continuously hard practice of asceticism. Buddhism set up "84000 ways"(means a lot of ways) based on the different roots of all flesh to let every man have the chance to turn into the power of Buddha. Buddhist Singing is not only a tool for teaching by playing, not only a decoration clinging to the Buddhist ceremony, but also a kind of special and artistic way to practise asceticism. It's of great benefit for Buddhists to pratise the "Ding (means to achieve the ability to concentrate and control) Way" in "Jie (means commandment), Ding and Hui (means become wisdom) Ways" and is good in tempering the Buddhists' bodies and minds. Buddhist Singing has a long history in China. It has never stopped its pace to blend itself with the culture of the Han nationality. It realized its China turns through the development of the Chinese Buddhist ceremony. It also affected the music culture of the Han nationality profoundly.On one hand, in the process of its development and coming down, Buddhist Singing were affected inevitably by diversely objective factors in the age and formed an evolvement character. On the other hand, because Buddhism has an extraordinarily strict and cautious attitude towards the establishment, additions and deletions of the Buddhist ceremony, which can't be done without a founder or a great master, Buddhist Singing was comparatively stable in a long period. Buddhist Singing always adopts an oral way-the master taught the prentice by singing and the prentice remembered all by heart-to come down. There are no music books on which the music rhythms were put down, only some concise token marking the need of the Buddhist instruments are found in librettos. Therefore, Buddhist Singing, which was reserved and passed down in the tall walls of the fanes, is unique in its opern, diction and aria. It's a living fossil of the music of China Nation, a precious heritage of human culture.Introduction Firstly, demarcate the study field to which Buddhist Singing in Chinese Buddhism belong; appraise the actuality and fruits of the domestic andinternational researches on Buddhist Singing; clarify the important meaning and value of the subject. Secondly, point out that Buddhist Singing is a cross-course of religion and art, its long history and the expansive scopes it relates to. Research on this subject can't be restrained in its music, in collecting the music books and in descriptive explanations of the ceremonies that are correlative to it. We should take an object attitude, adopt all feasible research methods to clear up, analyze, study and sum up Buddhist Singing through all aspects and angles. We should go deep into its art form to dig out the plentiful and profound religious connotation together with humanities essence that is bedded under the form. Thirdly, explain the train of thought, research methods and innovation of this disquisition.Chapter I The Creation of Buddhist Singing and Its Travel to the East. Buddhist Singing was born in India, the motherland of Buddhism. India is a country where the singing and dancing are loved with passion. Singing and dancing are often added to the fun in religious lives. For the happiness of all flesh and for making an easy way for all flesh to get close to Buddhism, the founder of Buddhism, Gautama, attached importance to adopting an art way to cultivate the kind roots of the Buddhists. And he specially allowed the Buddhists to sing the clean religious songs in order to oblate Buddha, surra and monks. He highly praised the benefaction of Buddhist Singing. Thus, Buddhist Singing, the purpose of which is to serve the Buddhist ceremony with music, arose and spread into many countries and regions when Buddhism traveled to the east.Chapter II The Development of Buddhist Singing in Chinese Buddhism. After Buddhism spread into China, it mixes with the Chinese inherent culture and finally the Chinese Buddhism came into being. Buddhist Singing entered China along with Buddhism. Because the rhythms and tunes that belong to Indian music system didn't fit the Buddhist scriptures translated from Sanskrit, the development of Buddhist Singing went through a long way combining itself with the music and language culture of the Han nationality. In this process, Buddhist Singing took root and grew in China and realized its China turns. This chapter takes the development stages of Chinese Buddhism as clue; takes the development of Buddhist ceremony of Chinese Buddhism as background; introduces detailedly the uncommon course of the settingup, development, maturation, stabilization and system forming of Buddhist Singing in the regions of the Han nationality; reflects the containment of Buddhism and comprehension of the Chinese Nation culture.Chapter III The Category of Buddhist Singing in Chinese Buddhism. There're many styles of Buddhist ceremony in Chinese Buddhism. The amount and breeds of the Buddhist Sing being used are diversified. This chapter starts with the music forms and the literary genres etc; introduces systematically the classification of the Buddhist Sing in Chinese Buddhism; concludes the common features of different kinds of Buddhist Sing; beds and prepares for further research in the chapters below.Chapter IV The Instruments Used in Buddhist Sing in Chinese Buddhism. In the process of the ritual such as Buddhist Sing etc, the use of the instruments is absolutely necessary. The instruments used in those rituals are almost percussion instruments, also called Bai instruments. Bai instruments have been used for a long time in Buddhism. It is very strict to choose the Bai instruments. The instruments are chosen for its stable, clear, distant and sublimity sound particularities to unify the pace of the masses, dispel the dishevelment and daze, help the masses to arouse their upward minds all the time. This chapter introduces detailedly the origin, shape, specialty, way to use, unite form and function etc of every instrument used in Buddhist Singing in Chinese Buddhism.Chapter V The Utilization of Buddhist Singing in Buddhist ceremony. As an important part of the Buddhist rituals, Buddhist Singing is used widely in all kinds of ceremonies. It runs through the entire cenobian life. And it is severely ordained as a required course for Buddhists to practise asceticism. This chapter explains systematically the familiar Buddhist ceremonies in Chinese Buddhism; introduces the utilization of Buddhist Singing in all kinds of Buddhist ceremonies one by one. All of these can help us to realize and understand the religious character of Buddhist Singing and its importance of helping Buddhists to practice asceticism.Chapter VI The Religionary Connotations of Buddhist Ceremonies Such as Buddhist Singing Etc. Buddhist Singing and multitudinal Buddhist ceremonies relate tightly to the Buddhist dogmata and doxy. They're set up to meet the different needs of all flesh, and it must follow this principle: adjust measures to time and localconditions. This chapter points out that teaching people by playing and moving people by emotion are important functions of Buddhist Singing. But they're not the only religionary connotation' of Buddhist Singing. Buddhist Singing also belongs to "Ding Way". It has an irreplaceable special function in promoting Buddhists to open their minds, get close to the power of Buddha through asceticism practice. This chapter adopts a concrete, case way to explain and demonstrate the viewpoints mentioned above deeply and carefully. A pioneer academic research work is done in leading asceticism practicers to achieve oral lustration and total savvy through the delicate sound of Buddhist Singing. Besides, a personal opinion at how to intone Buddhist Singing in a proper way is put forward.Chapter VII The Music Peculiarities of Buddhist Singing in Chinese Buddhism. The religionary connotations of Buddhist Singing decide that the artistic stylistic form of Buddhist Singing must clasp the progress of the Buddhist ceremonies. Buddhist Singing exhibits extraordinarily obvious musical peculiarities, which differentiate from common folk music. This chapter tries hard to roundly analyze the musical forms, the forms and the height of the melody, rhythm, time, diapason, cantus and forms of singing and many other musical representing means of Buddhist Singing. Necessary research and summarization are done on its musical features.Epilogue This disquisition starts with the basic situation of Buddhist Singing such as creation, development, category, utilization, religious connotation, music peculiarities etc; trims and sums up Chinese Buddhism, the religious art gem of human beings, systematically and roundly. The China turns of Buddhist Singing puts up the tough life force of the religious belief vividly, shows the world the spirit of cultural tolerance of Chinese Nation and the broadness and depth of Chinese traditional culture, the main body of which is Confucian. The brass tacks that Buddhist Singing develops and evolves ceaselessly mention us that religion is a dynamic concept and it has abundant connotations. We should adopt an open, developing, objective attitude to observe and study various religious phenomena; do our best to understand and treat religion roundly, historically and dialectically; make renligion to serve human beings; accelerate the socialist constructions on mental and material civilizations.