Home >
Date(s)： 2018/12/10
Time： 15:00~17:00
Venue： Research 1st Meeting Room
Speaker：Prof. Esther-Maria Guggenmos (IKGF, Erlangen-Nurenberg University)
Organizer： History of Knowledge Research Group
摘要： The Sūtra on the Divination of the Effect of Good and Evil Actions (Zhancha shan'e yebao jing占察善惡業報經, T. 839) describes an individually performed dice ritual that aims at determining one’s personal karma. Followed by repentance, it is constructed as a prerequisite stabilizing the mind in times of a degenerating world (mofa/mappo discourse) upon which more advanced Buddhist practices are expected to follow. The text has received considerable academic attention over the past decades. It has been treated in the context of Kṣitigarbha worship, in its relation to the Awakening of Faith and with regard to philological as well as historical arguments concerning its emergence as an indigenous scripture. As a Sui dynasty composition it has been considered “spurious” right from its beginning. These discussions will not be repeated. The lecture will begin with an overview of the text and its structure in order to gain a deeper understanding of the ritual practice described. Modern practices of this ritual up to the present time will show a broad spectrum of options for enactment. Necessary contextualization leads to rewriting parts of the original text. Practitioners oscillate between individual performance and social reassurance. Performative ideals and ritual shortcuts show tensions between the spiritual imagination and its actual performance. The results of this reflection will contribute to recent research on ritual dynamics including aspects of its proximity to secular gaming practices, creativity, efficiency, and embodiment.