Vessels for offerings
In India the primary offerings made to the Buddha and
stupas were incense, flowers, and candles. The Japan-
ese Darani jikkyo(Sutra of Collected Dharanl) explains
that incense and perfumed water were used to purify,
flowers to pay homage, and light to illuminate the
darkness of ignorance. Offerings of food symbolized
the giving of alms. In East Asia a set of three metal ves-
sels for these offerings—a candlestick, incense burner,
and flower vase—were placed on the main altar in
front of an image. In some Buddhist sects the set of
three was replaced by a more elaborate set of five, in-
cluding two candlesticks, two flower vases, and an in-
cense burner.
Ritual implements in the Japanese
liturgical context
The great diversity in the practice of Buddhism in Asia
has resulted in a great variety of rituals and of ritual
implements. Study of contemporary Buddhist ritual
practice in Japan, which closely follows that on the
continent in earlier centuries, reveals that most sectar-
ian differences ultimately are outweighed by funda-
mental similarities. The ceremonies begin with a call
to worship, marked by the striking of a large bronze
bell. During the procession of monks into the hall, the
chief officiant holds a long-handled censer—an em-
blem of his authority. In the CHAN SCHOOL(Zen) the
chief officiant may alternatively wield an animal-hair
wiskor a scepter with a foliate end. After making obei-
sance to the deity, he seats himself on a raised, square
ritual platform (raiban). To his left and right are two
small tables, generally crafted from lacquer, which hold
ritual implements and texts.
During the introductory section of the service, styl-
ized chanting is accompanied by the shaking of a
monk’s staff (shakujo) and the strewing of flower petals
from openwork baskets (keko) in order to purify the
ritual space. During the main part of the ceremony the
deity is summoned, praised, and hosted, after which
prayers are made. Expressions of appreciation are then
communicated to the deity and the celebrant then
promises that the benefits accrued from the ritual will
be shared with others. During the service the celebrant
frequently strikes a metal chime (kei), which is sus-
pended from a lacquer stand to the right of the raiban,
to punctuate the different sections of the liturgy. This
percussion instrument generally takes the form of an
inverted chevron with a raised lotus boss.Esoteric ritual implements
Implements are essential to the performance of eso-
teric Buddhist rituals. Derived in form from ancient
Indian weapons, esoteric ritual implements are be-
lieved to imbue the officiant with extraordinary pow-
ers and thus assist the individual in the quest to join
Buddhist deities in the quest for enlightenment.
As in MAHAYANAritual, the practitioner sits on a
ritual dais, but esoteric ritual employs a ritual plat-
form, on which are placed a great variety of imple-
ments and which in turn is placed in front of the
painting or sculpture that is the focus of the rite. In
India this platform would have been formed from
earth over a seven-day period and then later destroyed.
In China and Japan it took a more permanent form in
wood. The implements used in esoteric rituals can
generally be divided into four categories: those for
protecting the practitioner, those for purifying the de-
ity and officiant, those for holding offerings, and those
for providing musical accompaniment. The mostRITUALOBJECTSA monk holds prayer beads at the Rumtek Monastery near Gang-
tok, Sikkim, seat of the Bka’ brgyud (Kagyu) school of Tibetan
Buddhism. © Ric Ergenbright/Corbis. Reproduced by permission.