calling back the soul; Buddhist apocrypha; liturgical text; Onmyōdō rituals
摘要
Three Japanese Buddhist scriptural manuscripts related to the practice of calling back the soul are kept in Nanatsudera, Hōbodaiin in Toji, and Kōshōji, respectively. They show complex lineage connections that have been discussed little. This paper discusses the relations between the two sutras contained in the three manuscripts, traces their respective origins, and analyzes how Japanese authors transformed the apocryphal sutras into a liturgical text. Both the Nanatsudera and the Hōbodaiin manuscripts consist of the Sutra on Calling Back the Soul, while the Kōshōji manuscript comprises the Duxing Sutra. All of them were classified as Buddhist apocrypha written by Chinese authors. While the two sutras share similar text structures and the use of words, their contents reveal remarkable differences. The Sutra on Calling Back the Soul focuses mainly on how to release the souls of the dead and how to prevent fulian (reconnection with the dead), while the Duxing Sutra focuses on the healing of diseases and the alleviation of disasters through the restitution of the souls of the living. The Sutra on Calling Back the Soul has exerted a long-lasting effect in Japan where it was paraphrased into a liturgical text for the removal of disasters and the prolongation of life.
目次
Abstract 1 Keywords 1 1. Introduction 1 2. Fundamentals of the Sutra on Calling back the Soul and the Duxing Sutra 2 3. Liberation of the Soul: The Duxing Sutra and Its Origins 4 4. Restitution of the Soul: The Sutra on Calling back the Soul and Its Origins 7 5. From the Duxing Sutra to the Sutra on Calling back the Soul 10 6. The Shōkonsai in Esoteric Buddhism and Onmyōdō of Japan 12 7. Conclusions 16 Notes 17 References 18 Primary Source 18 Secondary Source 19
