Re-Ritualizing the Diamond Sutra: The Xiaoshi Jingang Keyi (銷釋金剛科儀) and Buddhist Textual Practice in Hokkien-Speaking Regions

This paper examines the Xiaoshi Jingang Keyi as a case of textual re-ritualization in the later history of Chinese Buddhism. Originally compiled by the Song dynasty monk Zongjing 宗鏡, the text transformed the exegetical reading of the Diamond Sūtra into a structured sequence of ritual acts centered on the notion of “entering the Diamond Dharma Assembly.” Its internal design—organized around the scripture’s “Thirty-two Sections” (三十二分) and the “Sevenfold Structure” (七種規模)—enabled successive generations to adapt the text to diverse ceremonial contexts. From the Ming and Qing dynasties onward, the Jingang Keyi circulated widely in ritual form across China, particularly within the Hokkien-speaking regions of Fujian and Guangdong, where the most active performance traditions emerged and later extended to Taiwan and Maritime Southeast Asia through migration. These vernacular enactments, often led by ritual specialists and supported by female lay associations (caigu 菜姑), illustrate how the Jingang Keyi was continually localized and revitalized while maintaining its canonical authority. The longevity of the Diamond Sūtra tradition depended not only on exegetical commentary but also on the text’s inherent capacity for re-ritualization—its ability to generate new performative meanings across changing historical and cultural settings. The Xiaoshi Jingang Keyi thus exemplifies how Buddhist scriptures have sustained ritual life through flexible structure, sound, and communal devotion.