The Chinese Cultural Elements of the Ullambana Festival

Abstract

Buddhism was disseminated from India to China during the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-220 C.E.) and incorporated local Chinese cultures. It emerged gradually as a specific cultural phenomenon with Chinese features. According to Li Li’an, such a phenomenon could be considered a miniature of all the foreign cultures’ destiny in China, too (Li, 2006). The Ullambana Festival of Buddhism experienced a long process of change within Buddhism itself. The Ullambana Service of Chinese Buddhism is a glittering example of this historically peerless amalgamation of two of the world’s most remarkable ancient civilizations. Thus, this paper attempts to investigate the Chinese cultural elements of the Ullambana Festival during its transmission in China to explore the localization of Buddhism in China further.