Observances, Feasts, and Scripts
close menu
Bookswagon
search
My Account
Home > Religion and beliefs > Buddhism > Buddhist life and practice > Observances, Feasts, and Scripts: The Varieties of Zhai in Chinese Buddhism from the Second to the Tenth Century(Kuroda Studies in East Asian Buddhism)
Observances, Feasts, and Scripts: The Varieties of Zhai in Chinese Buddhism from the Second to the Tenth Century(Kuroda Studies in East Asian Buddhism)

Observances, Feasts, and Scripts: The Varieties of Zhai in Chinese Buddhism from the Second to the Tenth Century(Kuroda Studies in East Asian Buddhism)


     0     
5
4
3
2
1



Available


X
About the Book

Observances, Feasts, and Scripts is the first monograph written in English to offer a comprehensive analysis of the varieties of zhai, a multifaceted term with deep historical and religious significance in Chinese Buddhism. Drawing on a wide array of sources—including canonical texts, apocryphal writings, hagiographies, and ritual documents—this book unveils zhai as a ritual complex encompassing temporary observances, communal feasts, and modes of interaction between the seen and unseen realms. These practices, rooted in both lay and monastic traditions, illustrate the intricate interplay between food, community, and ritual in Indian and Chinese Buddhism.

Part I traces how Indian Buddhist temporary observances were adapted, debated, and reimagined in the Chinese context. Part II explains the sponsored feast as a mechanism for lay-monastic interaction and merit-making. It also examines how Buddhists engaged with deities and spirit saints through remote invitations and ritual offerings. Part III focuses on "scripts" used for receiving the Eightfold Observance and conducting sponsored feasts, thus revealing their evolution from simple master-disciple interactions to complex communal events.

Observances, Feasts, and Scripts is an essential resource for scholars interested in food-related religious practices and the history of Buddhism. Through its meticulous examination of Chinese, Pāli, Sanskrit, and Tibetan materials, the book offers a fresh perspective on Chinese Buddhism as an intercultural endeavor. It sheds light on relevant scholastic debates, the creation of apocrypha, translation strategies, and ritual innovations in medieval China. By moving beyond teleological frameworks such as Sinicization, it emphasizes the agency of cultural, doctrinal, and social factors in shaping these practices. Additionally, it engages with the cognitive dimensions of ritual and highlights ritual logic as a cross-cultural analytical lens.



About the Author :
Yi Ding teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at DePaul University.

Review :
"This is a rich, innovative study on the evolution of Chinese Buddhist rituals in which laypeople made offerings to monks and spirits by sponsoring feasts. Lay-monk interaction is an important issue across Buddhist Asia, and the question is particularly crucial for the early medieval Chinese case. Yi Ding does an impressive job of digging up, combing through, and making sense of a large variety of materials in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan to shed important light on how local monks helped define the practice by authoring (and copying and performing) the scripts used during the feasts." - Stephen F. Teiser, Princeton University


Best Sellers


Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9798880702428
  • Publisher: University of Hawai'i Press
  • Publisher Imprint: University of Hawai'i Press
  • Height: 229 mm
  • No of Pages: 288
  • Series Title: Kuroda Studies in East Asian Buddhism
  • Width: 152 mm
  • ISBN-10: 8880702424
  • Publisher Date: 28 Feb 2026
  • Binding: Hardback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: Y
  • Sub Title: The Varieties of Zhai in Chinese Buddhism from the Second to the Tenth Century


Similar Products

Add Photo
Add Photo

Customer Reviews

REVIEWS      0     
Click Here To Be The First to Review this Product
Observances, Feasts, and Scripts: The Varieties of Zhai in Chinese Buddhism from the Second to the Tenth Century(Kuroda Studies in East Asian Buddhism)
University of Hawai'i Press -
Observances, Feasts, and Scripts: The Varieties of Zhai in Chinese Buddhism from the Second to the Tenth Century(Kuroda Studies in East Asian Buddhism)
Writing guidlines
We want to publish your review, so please:
  • keep your review on the product. Review's that defame author's character will be rejected.
  • Keep your review focused on the product.
  • Avoid writing about customer service. contact us instead if you have issue requiring immediate attention.
  • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product.
  • Do not include any personally identifiable information, such as full names.

Observances, Feasts, and Scripts: The Varieties of Zhai in Chinese Buddhism from the Second to the Tenth Century(Kuroda Studies in East Asian Buddhism)

Required fields are marked with *

Review Title*
Review
    Add Photo Add up to 6 photos
    Would you recommend this product to a friend?
    Tag this Book Read more
    Does your review contain spoilers?
    What type of reader best describes you?
    I agree to the terms & conditions
    You may receive emails regarding this submission. Any emails will include the ability to opt-out of future communications.

    CUSTOMER RATINGS AND REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TERMS OF USE

    These Terms of Use govern your conduct associated with the Customer Ratings and Reviews and/or Questions and Answers service offered by Bookswagon (the "CRR Service").


    By submitting any content to Bookswagon, you guarantee that:
    • You are the sole author and owner of the intellectual property rights in the content;
    • All "moral rights" that you may have in such content have been voluntarily waived by you;
    • All content that you post is accurate;
    • You are at least 13 years old;
    • Use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity.
    You further agree that you may not submit any content:
    • That is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading;
    • That infringes any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy;
    • That violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);
    • That is, or may reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation;
    • For which you were compensated or granted any consideration by any unapproved third party;
    • That includes any information that references other websites, addresses, email addresses, contact information or phone numbers;
    • That contains any computer viruses, worms or other potentially damaging computer programs or files.
    You agree to indemnify and hold Bookswagon (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of a breach of your representations and warranties set forth above, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.


    For any content that you submit, you grant Bookswagon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell, transfer, and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. Additionally,  Bookswagon may transfer or share any personal information that you submit with its third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc. in accordance with  Privacy Policy


    All content that you submit may be used at Bookswagon's sole discretion. Bookswagon reserves the right to change, condense, withhold publication, remove or delete any content on Bookswagon's website that Bookswagon deems, in its sole discretion, to violate the content guidelines or any other provision of these Terms of Use.  Bookswagon does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Bookswagon to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Bookswagon reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission to the extent authorized by law. You acknowledge that you, not Bookswagon, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Bookswagon, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers (including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.)and their respective directors, officers and employees.

    Accept

    Fresh on the Shelf


    Inspired by your browsing history


    Your review has been submitted!

    You've already reviewed this product!
    Your IP: 216.73.217.23 IN