Introductory Rituals in the “Baojuan of Mulian” and the Birth of the Baojuan Genre

This article discusses special features and meaning of the introductory part of the “Baojuan of Mulian”, a unique text of Chinese prosimetric literature in vernacular language (ca. 14th century). This part of the text has not been studied so far, as it was preserved only in the manuscript dated 1440, now kept in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. It is especially valuable, as it provides important material on the ritual context and meaning of this work — the earliest surviving narrative baojuan. I also compare the introductory section of the “Baojuan of Mulian” with those of several other early baojuan, dating back to approximately same period (13th — 14th century). It reveals the ritual setting of performance of this text and further attests to the origins of the baojuan genre in the Buddhist proselytizing literature.