Bodhisattva ordination and emperor’s power: from Liang Emperor Wu’s precedent to Sui Emperor Wen’s innovation
This study examines how Buddhist ritual strengthened the emperor’s power in sixth-century China through the cases of Liang Emperor Wu 梁武帝 (r. 502–549) and Sui Emperor Wen 隋文帝 (r. 581–604). From the third to sixth centuries, as imperial authority grew precarious, emperors sought new means of politica...
| Subtitles: | New Perspectives on the Localization and Globalization of Buddhism in Medieval China and Beyond |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Studies in Chinese Religions
Year: 2024, Volume: 10, Issue: 3/4, Pages: 461-474 |
| Further subjects: | B
Buddhist ritual
B imperial amnesty B Sui Emperor Wen B bodhisattva ordination B Liang Emperor Wu |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This study examines how Buddhist ritual strengthened the emperor’s power in sixth-century China through the cases of Liang Emperor Wu 梁武帝 (r. 502–549) and Sui Emperor Wen 隋文帝 (r. 581–604). From the third to sixth centuries, as imperial authority grew precarious, emperors sought new means of political control. Liang Emperor Wu reformed the bodhisattva ordination by creating distinct yet interconnected procedures for lay and monastic participants, challenging the Buddhist clergy’s exclusive claim to spiritual authority while redefining power relations between emperor, saṅgha and officials at court. His reform influenced northern rulers, particularly through promoting monastic vegetarianism and his ritual performances. Sui Emperor Wen expanded this precedent by connecting his bodhisattva ordination to a mass amnesty in 585. While standard amnesties served as routine state ceremonies, Sui Emperor Wen’s post-ordination amnesty incorporated Buddhist principles of compassion and liberation to transform this ceremonial act into an expression of personal power. Analysis of these cases demonstrates how Buddhist ritual could enhance imperial authority during the crisis of emperorship that characterized the post-Han period. |
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| ISSN: | 2372-9996 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Studies in Chinese Religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/23729988.2025.2480992 |
