Largely unstudied until now, the religious festivals that attracted Chinese people from all walks of life provide the most instructive examples of the interaction between Chinese forms of social life and the Indian tradition of Buddhism. Stephen Teiser examines one of the most important of such annual celebrations. He provides a comprehensive interpretation of the festivities of the seventh lunar month, in which laypeople presented offerings to Buddhist monks to gain salvation for their ancestors. Teiser uncovers a wide range of sources, many translated or analyzed for the first time in any language, to demonstrate how the symbolism, rituals, and mythology of the ghost festival pervaded the social landscape of medieval China.

About the Author
Stephen F. Teiser is Associate Professor of Religion at Princeton University.

Reviews
Co-Winner of the 1988 Best First Book Prize in the History of Religions, American Council of Learned Societies "Teiser offers an excellent study of the role of the festival in medieval (third-to-ninth centuries) Chinese religious life... [A] vibrant portrayal of the living faith of a large portion of medieval China... His transcendence of traditional boundaries between Buddhology and sinology has set a new standard for future studies of Chinese religion."--Terry F. Kleeman, The Journal of Asian Studies "An admirable attempt to focus on the interstices of Chinese and Buddhist conceptions of the afterlife."--Linda L. Lam-Easton, Religious Studies Review


Awards
Winner of American Council of Learned Societies Prize: Best Book in the History of Religions 1988.



Book Information
ISBN 9780691026770
Author Stephen F. Teiser
Format Paperback
Page Count 296
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press
Weight(grams) 425g