Animal Release: The Dharma Being Staged between Marketplace and Park# / 放生：在市场和公园间上演的佛法#

Abstract

Abstract Despite having been sharply criticized and ridiculed on ecological and/or theological grounds by people both in and outside the Buddhist community for decades, fangsheng (animal release) is still one of the most popular devotional acts among Chinese Buddhists, especially urban Buddhists. In fact, to the dismay of those enlightened critics, this controversial practice may well be one of the key factors that have made Buddhism the fastest-growing religion in China in recent decades. This paper thus attempts to explain why Chinese urban Buddhists persistently favor fangsheng. It begins with a brief review of the process by which famous Buddhist monks and pious emperors constructed the classical form of animal release in China from the late fifth through the eleventh century. Then it describes several styles of animal release that are currently practiced in Nanjing, especially those being reformed and enthusiastically organized by numerous jushi (Buddhist laity) groups. After that, it discusses why fangsheng has become one of the most popular devotional practices in Nanjing. Based on participant observation and in-depth interviews, the author argues that the most remarkable advantage of fangsheng is the dramatic, sensational effects it can produce easily and reliably, which may explain why it is an invincible method of Buddhist spiritual cultivation. More precisely, fangsheng in practice is the enactment of a sensational ritual drama that represents the pilgrimage of all mortals from hell (the marketplace) to heaven (a park). Many practitioners and attendants appear to be deeply moved by witnessing the creatures chosen for fangsheng, onto which those practitioners often project themselves, saved from torture and tragic death.

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