Abstract:

Compared with the situation of merely copying the Diamond Sutra in the early and middle Tang Dynasty revealed by Dunhuang manuscripts, the texts of invitation and mantras are often added to before and after the scriptures of the Diamond Sutra in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties period. Gradually it forms a relative fixed practice of "the chanting scripture before the sutra" and "the chanting scripture after the sutra". This phenomenon demonstrates the important role of reciting ritual in the Diamond Sutra belief. In addition, Diamond Sutra Chanted by Buddha kept in Dunhuang manuscripts also reflects a fusion of classic reciting and fast ceremony activities, and it has some relation with the ritual documents of the Diamond Sutra of later generations. Through studying the documents on the Diamond Sutra in Dunhuang manuscripts and other related materials, we can easily find the tendency of the ritualization of the Diamond Sutra belief, which can be traced back to the late Tang Dynasty at least.

Key words: the Tang Dynasty, Diamond Sutra belief, ritualization, Diamond Sutra Chanted by Buddha