| Originating in India, Buddhism went through phases of change and adaptation in order to be accepted by the Chinese society. These modifications included combination with other religious and philosophical elements of the Chinese society. Buddhism emerged from this process transformed into a Chinese religion. In this dissertation, I analyze and interpret the reciting and chanting of the Amitabha sutra in order to reveal how Buddhism was affected by the Chinese society as it was transformed from its India-originated form into new forms of Chinese Buddhism. The examination of the music, and related concepts and behaviors, also provides insight into the various components of the Chinese society as a whole.;To analyze the basic concepts of Chinese Buddhism, I investigate the religious thinking of the Chinese in different eras of Chinese history in Chapter II. The understanding of Buddhism among the Chinese became subject to diverse interpretations after the translations of several sutras into the Chinese language were made available, resulting in the appearance of different schools of Buddhism and differences in religious ritual practices. Among these schools are the Chan and Pureland schools, which are predominant in the present day Buddhist community in Taiwan. In Chapter III, I trace the historical evolution of the various schools and analyze the interaction between them, with emphasis on the Chan and Pureland schools. In Chapter IV, I show how the Chinese Buddhists have gone through different phases of assimilation to make Buddhism a dominant religion in Taiwan's society today. Emphasis is on the interactions between the Chan and Pureland schools.;The Amitabha Sutra used in the evening service in monastic communities is analyzed in Chapter V, I present the different understandings of the sutra interpreted by the elite Chinese Buddhist groups and ordinary Buddhists.;The other component of the service, chanting, has received very little attention from scholars and there is little literature available. In Chapter VI, I approach the subject from a descriptive standpoint, presenting musical notation, instrumental accompaniment, and the description of performance events.;This dissertation is based on first-hand observations of ritual performance and chanting, a literature survey (primarily in the Chinese language), and an emic approach to the understanding of Chinese cultural and philosophical values. |
