Preaching Buddhism in Medieval China: Sutra Lecture Texts, Rituals, and Manuscripts

Abstract

This dissertation examines the practice of “popular preaching” (sujiang 俗講) performed by itinerant monks to disseminate Buddhist doctrines among lay people in seventh- to tenth-century China. In contrast to existing studies on the propagation of Buddhism through the lenses of translation and commentary, this study highlights the crucial role of preaching in familiarizing the laity with Buddhist concepts in their everyday lives. This study mainly analyzes approximately thirty manuscripts of “sutra lecture texts” (jiangjing wen 講經文) found in a Dunhuang Mogao Cave in the early twentieth century. The materials are important because they reveal that most people encountered Buddhist teachings not through reading texts but by listening to sermons. In addition, this dissertation offers a more nuanced understanding of popular preaching by drawing on textual and historical data from a diverse array of complementary sources, including scriptures, commentaries, travelogues, and ritual manuscripts. This study delves into the literary, ritual, social, material, and performative contexts of popular sutra lectures in medieval Chinese Buddhism. The dissertation argues that Buddhist preachers employed a variety of literary and homiletic techniques—such as quotation, repetition, dialogue, dramatization, jokes, and role-playing—to create vernacularized, performative, and functional canons tailored to the lay audience’s needs. These preachers skillfully integrated existing scriptures and monastic commentaries with their oral exegeses, embedded their sermons within broader ritual contexts, recrafted and disseminated their lecture scripts, and adapted their messages to meet local demands. This dissertation contends that sutra lectures were undertaken as fundamental practices by lay practitioners on the path to soteriological enlightenment, often in tandem with other supplementary rituals, such as repentance, worship, and prayer. The codicological and paratextual features of the manuscripts further suggest the collective use and compilation of lecture scripts among medieval preachers. Popular preaching in medieval China served multiple functions, from education and entertainment to salvation. This dissertation enhances our understanding of how sutra lectures shaped and mirrored the dynamic interplay between doctrine and practice, written texts and oral performance, and the interactions between monastic and lay practitioners. By exploring these fluid dimensions, the study provides new perspectives on the relationship between orality and manuscript cultures, the performative nature of texts, and the lived experience of preachers and audiences. Moreover, it expands our understanding of scriptural traditions in medieval China, particularly the canon formation and adaptation in real-world settings.