"Fotou" Sermon And Sermon Music In Jingjiang, Jiangsu Province

This article is the study on the sermon and preaching ceremony in Jingjiang area. This articlefocuses on studying the preacher of sermon, which is called "Buddha’s head". The unique features ofJingjiang sermon are explained from several perspectives, such as the origin of Jingjiang folk Baojuan,the changes of "Buddha’s head" in history, preaching content in sermon and interactions with "Hefo",and the inheriting system and musical divisions of "Buddha’s head". After explaining the features, theauthor illustrates the Jingjiang sermon activities according to the historical and social context, so thehistoric reasons and the cultural influences of Jingjiang sermon can be understood.Jingjiang sermon preached by the "Buddha’s head" is a procedure recognized by the local peopledue to custom. What’s more, in order to gain the people’s favor, the "Buddha’s head" is consistentlyexploring new performing style. The study explain a new sermon style after depicting the relationshipbetween "Buddha’s head" and "Hefo", which is characterized by chorus leading by "Buddha’s head"and preaching by "Hefo" to the followers.This study can be divided into three chapters: the first chapter depicts and analyzes theidentification changes of the "Buddha’s head" in history according to literature review, i.e. the changefrom monks and nuns in early Buddhism Baojuan to multiple status in later Buddhism Baojuan. Thesecond chapter is the main part, which focuses on analyzing the features of verbal preaching by the"Buddha’s head" and its interactions with "Hefo". In the last chapter, the author explains Jingjiangsermon against the social and cultural background and the preaching by "Hefo" in different culturesand Buddhist activities.