A critical study and annotated translation of Fazhao's Ritual manual of the five-tempo intonation of the name of the Buddha for recitation of scripture and contemplation of pure land

Abstract

This dissertation is a study and annotated translation of two texts by the well-known Pure Land patriarch Fazhao (法照 746-838) of the Tang dynasty (618-907), namely Ritual Manual of the Five-Tempo Intonation of the Name of the Buddha for Recitation of Scripture and Contemplation of Pure Land (hereafter, Ritual Manual 淨土五會念佛誦經觀行儀, T85) and Hymn for the Abridged Ritual Manual of the Five-Tempo Intonation of the Name of the Buddha for Pure Land Dharma Ceremony (hereafter, Abridged Manual 淨土五會念佛略法事儀讚, T47). The Ritual Manual, which is the full text in three fascicles, was lost and later rediscovered in the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, but only the second and third fascicles are preserved. The second fascicle corresponds to Dunhuang manuscript P.2066 and the third fascicle to Dunhuang manuscripts P.2250 and P.2963. The Abridged Manual, in two fascicles, is as the title indicates, an abridged text made from the full version by Fazhao himself for short ceremonies. The most important issue presented in these texts is whether the Five-Tempo Intonation of the Name of the Buddha was a new creation by Fazhao, a question that has long been debated among Buddhist scholars. The present study indicates that it was a new invention by Fazhao. However, this invention was based on the practices of previous masters, such as Wuxiang’s Drawn-out Recitation of the Buddhaʼs Name (引聲念佛), Huaigan’s Loudly Invoking the Buddhaʼs Name (勵聲念佛), and Tanluan’s Method of Reciting the Name of the Buddha with Harmonious Sound (和聲念佛). These two texts reflect that Fazhao’s thought also assimilated the teachings of different Buddhist schools, such as Tiantai, Chan, Huayan, and Tantrayana.