In this Book
Many Faces of Mulian: The Precious Scrolls of Late Imperial China
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The story of Mulian rescuing his mother’s soul from hell has evolved as a narrative over several centuries in China, especially in the baojuan (precious scrolls) genre. This genre, a prosimetric narrative in vernacular language, first appeared around the fourteenth century and endures as a living tradition. In exploring the evolution of the Mulian story, Rostislav Berezkin illuminates changes in the literary and religious characteristics of the genre. He also examines material from other forms of Chinese literature and from modern performances of baojuan, tracing their transformation from tools of Buddhist proselytizing to sectarian propaganda to folk ritualized storytelling. Ultimately, he reveals the special features of baojuan as a type of performance literature that had its foundations in multiple literary traditions.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page, Copyright, Dedication
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Prologue: Mulian Baojuan in Jingjiang
Introduction
1. Baojuan about Mulian and Performance Literature
2. The Mulian Story in Chinese Literature
3. An Early Example in Baojuan
4. Sectarian Examples in Dizang Baojuan and Baojuan of Benefiting Living Beings
5. Beliefs and Practices in Sectarian Baojuan
6. Late Examples in Baojuan of Three Rebirths and Precious Account of Mulian
7. The Religious and Performative Context of Late Baojuan about Mulian
Conclusion
Appendix 1: Major Texts in Chinese Literature Dealing with the Mulian Story
Appendix 2: Baojuan Texts Dealing with the Mulian Story
Appendix 3: Translation of the First Passage of Baojuan of MaudgalyÄyana (Manuscript of 1440)
Notes
Glossary of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Terms
Bibliography
Index
| ISBN | 9780295742533 |
|---|---|
| Related ISBN(s) | 9780295742519 |
| MARC Record | Download |
| OCLC | 1006533269 |
| Pages | 272 |
| Launched on MUSE | 2021-10-27 |
| Language | English |
| Open Access | Yes |
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