Alerting the Masses: An Inquiry into Buddhist Communication through Bells in Song Dynasty (960–1279) China from the Perspective of Material Culture and Sound=梵鐘警衆——從宋代物質文化與音景看佛寺與外界的聯絡
Author Affiliation: Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Belgium
關鍵詞
Buddhist bells=梵鐘; Song dynasty=宋代; Chinese Buddhism=中國佛教; soundscape=音景; material culture=物質文化
摘要
This article traces the history of Buddhist temple bells during the Song dynasty, through bell inscriptions and records that have been preserved despite the disappearance of the majority of the bells themselves. These texts bear witness to the amounts of time, money, and effort that were spent to realise the production of a bell, making it one of the most prominent and precious objects in the context of Buddhist material culture. Moreover, they demonstrate that bells not only functioned as important means to regulate the lives of Buddhist monks and nuns inside the temple, but were also sonic guides for the wider local community, and in particular Buddhist lay devotees. As such, bells afford a fascinating glimpse into the ways in which temples communicated with the outside world.
Abbreviations 319 Introduction 320 Sources: Bell Inscriptions and Records 322 I The Material Dimension 324 I.1 Preparations: Obtaining Permission to Cast 325 I.2 Donors and Their Motives 327 I.3 The Casting and Consecration 329 II The Aural Dimension 331 II.1 Monastic Temporal Markers 331 II.2 A Pre-modern Medium of Mass Communication 333 II.3 Redeeming the Dead 336 II.4 Sound Protection and Lay Involvement 338 Conclusion 341 Bibliography 342 Primary Sources 342 Secondary Sources 344 Appendix: Bell Inscriptions and Involvement with Bell Casting 349 Chinese Abstract 361
