Chiew Hui Ho: "The Tang Biography of the 'Lotus Sūtra' in Parasutraic Writings: How Does a Scripture Live?"

Abstract:

The Lotus Sūtra’s history in China through the Tang dynasty can be read as a “biography,” a life defined by reception rather than inherent doctrine. The question at stake is how a scripture lived, gained authority, and achieved efficacy through narrative and practice. Using theories of object life and reception, this study shows that the Lotus Sūtra’s Tang biography emerges most vividly in parasutraic writings. The Hongzan fahua zhuan and Fahua zhuanji preserve accounts of reading, reciting, copying, and offering to the text, with accounts attesting to its popularity and efficacy serving both as records of devotions and as instruments that made its power real. These narratives reveal the sutra as a dynamic agent continually reanimated by human engagement, offering a model for theorizing the “lives” of scriptures.

Bio:

Chiew Hui Ho is Senior Lecturer in East Asian Buddhism and Chair of Asian Studies at the University of Sydney. His scholarship centers on Chinese Buddhism, especially the lived and practiced dimensions of medieval Chinese religion. His first book examines Tang dynasty narratives celebrating the Diamond Sutra and highlights the role of lay believers in shaping its devotional culture. His broader research interests include medieval Buddhist storytelling, scriptural devotion, and the interplay of ritual, material culture, and textual practices.