Study On The Etiquette Of Dunhuang Buddha In The Tang And Five Dynasties

The period from Tang Dynasty to early Song Dynasty is an important one for formalization of Buddhist fast ceremony with significant ritual characteristics and social impacts. This paper makes full use of Dunhuang documents, combining with handed-down literature and historical records to have a comprehensive study on Buddhist fast ceremony of Tang and Song Dynasty in Dunhuang. The paper is divided into six chapters, the first two chapters mainly discuss the development process of fast ceremonies' sinofication and the characteristics and development of prayer of Buddhist fast ceremony in Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties and early Song Dynasty. The other four chapters focus on the relationship between Buddhist fast ceremony and Five Ceremonies-- ji, xiong, jun, bin and jia in this period.The first chapter is discussed mainly from the Buddhist fast ceremonies' etiquette point of view called "the same as sacrifice" to demonstrate the process of its sinofication. The second chapter tries to break through inherent understanding of the past regarding prayer as Buddhism practical style and explores the ritual characteristics and development of its official shuyi. The third chapter concerns several typical Buddhist "God-worship" fast ceremonies of Tang and Song in Dunhuang and the relationship between Buddhist ritual fast and etiquette of ji. The author believes the etiquette of sacrificing “she” and “ji”, praying for rain, worshiping the god of silkworm and praying for cereal can not only meet the expression of political ritual indoctrination effect by the ruling class in local counties, but also the main spirit of the people to pray for agricultural production.The fourth chapter analyzes several official Buddhist fast ceremonies in Tang and Song Dynasty and mainly discusses the relationship between Buddhist fast ceremony and the official etiquette mainly presented by the etiquette of bin and jia, and then concludes that the emergence of official Buddhist fast ceremony is the performance of official etiquette's Buddhism-orientation and Buddhism's formalization and therefore new features of the Tang and Song official ritual are formed. Chapter five studies the relationship between Buddhist fast ceremony and etiquette of jun, by analyzing some typical Buddhist military fast ceremonies of Tang and Song Dynasty in Dunhuang. And I find the holding of Buddhist fast ceremony whose role is similar to traditional military ritual such as expedition and epidemic and ghost exorcism shows that the military ritual from Tang to early Song Dynasty has had the the Buddhist tendency with deep degree of public participation. Chapter six summarizes some typical Buddhist fast ceremonies with etiquette of xiong and discusses the relationship between Buddhist fast ceremony and etiquette of xiong. From this chapter we can see the extermination to disasters such as death, disease, famine included in etiquette of xiong, especially the fast ceremony of funeral which correspond with the traditional funeral rituals one by one, is also the common content in Buddhist fast ceremony; the Buddhist fast ceremony with etiquette of xiong is not restricted by class boundaries but suitable for everyone and people regard it as a “natural”ritual.All in all, Buddhist fast ceremony of Tang dynasty, Five Dynasties and early Song Dynasty in Dunhuang has certain ritual characteristics and social impacts and can replace or supplement traditional etiquette. The author tries to make a reduction to the Buddhist social characteristics on the research of the Buddhist fast ceremony etiquette in Tang, Five Dynasties and Early Song, and further to explore the relationship between social etiquette and Buddhism in Tang and Song Dynasty.