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 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