214 CHAPTER EIGHTanimals killed specifically to feed them. Strict vegetarianism for monks and
nuns is a practice peculiar to east Asian Buddhism, and again (in addition to
Buddhist sources such as the NirvifiJa Sutra), Taoist precedents are probably
responsible.
The Sangha in China eventually developed a family and clan system paral-
lel to the secular clans of blood lineages, with an elaborate hierarchy of rela-
tionships based upon tonsure, the first act required of one leaving the
household life. The newly tonsured individual moved from secular to Bud-
dhist family complete with "father," "uncles," "brothers," and "cousins" (these
male terms were used among both monks and nuns). This practice had both
Chinese and Indian precedents, as the newly ordained monks and nuns in
India were also told to regard their preceptors as their parents.
Relic worship is an interesting Buddhist cult practice in China. The relic
may be the famous finger bone of the Buddha presented to an emperor of the
T' ang dynasty, or it may be an entire mummified body of an especially holy
monk or nun. Many of these mummies still exist, the one with the longest
known continuous history dating back to 713 c.E. This is the mummy ofHui-
neng, the Sixth Ch'an Patriarch, whose body did not decay after death. It was
eventually covered with lacquer and exists to this day in a special grotto built
for it in south China. In the early biographies of monks and nuns, dating from
the Later Han dynasty to the Liang dynasty (150-519), we frequently read
that a certain monk or nun, known to be especially holy, did not decay after
death. Eventually it became part of a test of a revered monastic's holiness. The
body would be placed in a large urn and checked after a certain length of time.
If it had not decayed, he/ she was truly a saint.
8. 7.2 Religious Life: Lay
Lay practices attested to in early times and continuing to modern days include
the Lantern Festival, which has no Indian counterpart; the Buddha's birthday;
All Souls' Day; vegetarian feasts; image processions; and the release of living
beings.
The Lantern Festival takes place on the fifteenth day of the first lunar
month. Buddhist festivals in general occur on days of the changing phases of
the moon, whereas native Chinese festivals more often occur during months
and days consisting of double numbers-as, for example, the fifth day of the
fifth month. The legend behind the Lantern Festival alleges that, in order to
determine whose doctrine was true and whose false, three altars were once set
up: one for Buddhist scriptures, one for Taoist scriptures, and one for local
gods. These were set on fire, and only the Buddhist scriptures did not burn.
The reigning emperor then ordered that to commemorate the day of the trial
by fire, lamps were to be lit symbolizing the great light of Buddhism. This day
also marks the conclusion of festivities celebrating the New Year.
The Buddha's birthday is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth month.
It is also known as the day for bathing the Buddha, in commemoration of the
gods' having bathed him immediately after his birth. A tiny image of the baby
Buddha is placed in a basin of fragrant water, often with flower petals in it.