1685955835716350.jpg


讲 座 信 息


主题:The Power of Wish-Vows: Ethics and Ritual Transformation in Buddhist Temples in Contemporary China

时间:2023年6月9日(周五)9:00-11:00

地点:浙江大学紫金港西区成均苑8幢1127

概要:Among the most noteworthy practices in Buddhist temples in China today are yuan or wish-vow actions. Wish-vows encompass both wish-making (xuyuan 许愿) and vow-giving (fayuan 发愿), with both modalities embraced by average temple-goers from a general population. Chinese Buddhist liturgies encourage ritual performers to adopt a bodhisattva stance, wishing/vowing for the well-being of all beings. This introduces an ethical dimension to yuan performances. This paper analyzes the continuity in practice between wish-making and vow-giving, exploring how popular and Buddhist understandings of ritual entangle and how ritual generates meaningful narratives for practitioners. The article shows how the human pursuit of ritual effects and ethical self-transformation are not contradictory but rather complementary processes. Considering this Chinese ritual situation deepens our comprehension of votive practices in syncretic religious traditions. Additionally, it offers a new direction for considering religious potentialities in late socialist societies. Furthermore, it usefully challenges the use of the term “prayer” in Chinese contexts. In this way, the article bridges anthropology, Chinese studies, and religious studies and enhances our conceptual toolkit for studying ongoing human transformation.


主讲人:沈 阳

波士顿大学人类学博士,现任浙江大学社会学系新百人计划研究员。研究领域为宗教人类学(含世俗主义相关问题)、仪式与社会理论等。其研究发表在Material Religion, Journal of Chinese Humanities 等杂志上。


评议人:胡梦茵

华东师范大学人类学博士,现任浙江财经大学社会工作系讲师。研究兴趣包括藏族天主教、祈祷研究、宗教伦理等。现阶段关注天主教中的仪式语言与语用。


主持人:周陆洋

麦吉尔大学社会学博士,现任浙江大学社会学系“百人计划B”研究员。作为比较历史社会学者,长期研究民族主义与革命运动的关系,其相关研究论文已经发表在 European Journal of Sociology, Nations and Nationalism, Journal of Historical Sociology, Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Routledge Handbook of Chinese Studies, 《二十一世纪》等刊物。