Localizing a Bodhisattva in Late Imperial China: Kṣitigarbha, Mt. Jiuhua, and Their Connections in Precious Scrolls

Abstract:This paper examines the texts and ritual performances of three typical Kṣitigarbha (Dizang 地藏) or Maudgalyāyana (Mulian 目連) precious scrolls (baojuan 寶卷) in late imperial China, with an emphasis on locality. By examining the identification of Jin Dizang 金地藏 as Dizang Bodhisattva's emanation on Mt. Jiuhua 九華山, Mt. Jiuhua's function as an essential geographical setting in texts, and the ritual contexts for their performances, this paper demonstrates that Mt. Jiuhua's rising fame is intricately reflected in Dizang or Mulian scrolls. Instead of reading these scrolls through the lens of a particular religious group, this paper adopts a local perspective to reveal the ways in which precious scrolls became important venues for representing sacred geography. Thus, this paper works as a case study of the confluences of religious history and vernacular literature.摘要:本文以地方性為中心檢視了明清時期三種典型的地藏或目連寶卷的文本及儀式表演。通過考察宝卷中地藏菩薩在九華山的化身金地藏、九華山作为不可或缺的地理要素，以及演出这些寶卷的儀式背景，本文表明地藏或目連寶卷以曲折的形式反映了九華山的重要性。本文試圖避免僅從特定宗教傳統的角度來解讀這些寶卷，而是採取了地方視角揭示出寶卷如何成為表達神聖地理的重要方式。由此，本文可视作結合宗教史和民間文學的個案研究。