Jieba

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Shi Yan Fan receiving the jieba
Jieba
Chinese戒疤
Literal meaningprecept scars

Jieba (Chinese: 戒疤[1]) is an ordination practice where ritual burn scars are received by Buddhist monks of some sects of Chan Buddhism,[2] including Shaolin monks.[3][4] This practice is very rare and is part of an elaborate ceremony that is undertaken only after they shave their heads and take their bodhisattva vows.[5]

Procedure

The marks are achieved by placing an incense-like stick of Artemisia vulgaris called a moxa onto the top of the head and burning the moxa for several minutes,[6]: 506  causing moxibustion burns on the scalp, an extremely painful process that creates the scars.[2][6]: 506  Moxa is used over regular incense to lessen the pain that is caused by the scarring process.[7] The practice is potentially dangerous, and can result in temporary injury including infection,[6]: 507  blood poisoning, impaired eye sight, and swelling, as well as potentially permanent injuries including blindness.[6]: 298 

Religious significance

The number of jieba scars that a monk will receive ranges from three to twelve,[5][8] though historically as many as eighteen have been used.[7] The meaning of the jieba varies, with some definitions being refuge in the three jewels, or alternatively symbolizing the three Buddhist characteristics of discipline, concentration, and wisdom,[9] especially when these marks are made in multiples of three.[7]

The justification for the jieba ceremony is often taken from sutras, including the sixteenth precept of the Fànwǎng jīng which discusses Bodhisattva renunciation practices that include "the burning of one's body" as being an ultimate act in the quest for enlightenment, and that if one is not prepared to follow these practices then they cannot become a monk.[10][7]

Laypeople will sometimes receive jieba on their forearms after taking the Bodhisattva Precepts as a sign of sacrifice and dedication during a Buddhist initiation ritual.[9][6]: 514 

History

The practice dates back to at least the Chinese Yuan dynasty (1271–1368),[5][8] and the earliest known recorded description of jieba comes from around the year 1280 in a biography of a monk named Zhide (1235–1322) in a document called Ming gaoseng zhuan (Biographies of Eminent Monks compiled under the Ming).[7]

One origin that has been suggested is that the practice began as a means of identifying monks after the issuance of ordination certificates was suspended by the Yongzheng Emperor during the mid 18th century,[6]: 298–299  after which the practice was ubiquitous for Chan Buddhist monks during the remainder of the 18th century.[6]: 298 

The practice itself may be an apocryphal concept to Chan Buddhism, as there is evidence that the existence of moxibustion in China predates both Buddhist usage and the authorship of the Brahmajāla Sūtra (also called the Fànwǎng jīng in Chinese) or the Śūraṅgama Sūtra (also called the Shouleng'yan jing in Chinese), both themselves apocryphal texts which in part discuss and justify such practices as moxibustion and jieba.[7]

In December 1983, the Buddhist Association of China, the official Chinese government body that oversees Buddhism in China, decreed that jieba was "a ritual practice which was not of Buddhist origin, and since it was damaging to the health was to be abolished forthwith."[7]

This ritual is still practiced in Vietnam where it is called Lễ Tấn Hương and is also more common than the Chinese variant.

Similar practices

Ceremonial branding is an integral part of religious initiation in most Vaishnava sects. References to this practice can be traced in texts such as Narad Panchratra, Vaikhnasagama, Skanda Purana, etc.[11] This practice is still in vogue among Madhava sect Brahmins of Karnataka in India.[12]

Popular culture

The character Krillin from the Dragon Ball media franchise is a monk that has six jieba on his forehead.[13][14] In Jet Li's first film, the 1982 Chinese film The Shaolin Temple, his character Jue Yuan has jieba on his head.[14] Many movies that portray monks with jieba scars during the Tang and Song dynasties are considered anachronistic, as there is no evidence of the practice in use prior to the Yuan dynasty.[2]

References

  1. ^ 當代臺灣本土大眾文化. 第一冊, 雙源匯流與互動開展精選集 [Collection of contemporary local and mass culture in Taiwan] (in Chinese) (Chu ban ed.). Tai bei shi: 元華文創. 2020. ISBN 978-957-711-090-9. OCLC 1204255254. Archived from the original on 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2022-08-22. 每當有僧尼的傳戒大典舉行時,最後壓軸的,就是在新受戒者的光頭上燒「戒疤」 [When a monk or nun's ordination ceremony is held, the final part of the ceremony is to burn the "precept scar" on the bald head of the new ordained.]
  2. ^ a b c "和尚从什么时候开始烧"戒疤"？电视剧中的和尚骗了观众很多年" [When did the monks start burning "jieba"? The monks on TV series have cheated the audience for many years.]. Toutiao.com. October 23, 2020. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "Shaolin Summit to Feature Legendary Monks, Temple's Abbot, Noted Author, Psychologist and Other Experts to Discuss Zen Philosophy, Martial Arts, Holistic Healing". NBC News (Press release). May 13, 2011. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  4. ^ "L'Abate Venerabile Shi Yanfan e il produttore Adrian Paul a Cinecittà". Cinecittà. October 10, 2017. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Birnbaum, Raoul (2003). "Buddhist China at the Century's Turn". In Overmyer, Daniel L. (ed.). Religion in China today. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 123. ISBN 0-521-53823-8. OCLC 52547679. Archived from the original on 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Welch, Holmes (1973). The practice of Chinese Buddhism, 1900-1950. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-69700-6. OCLC 39088631. Archived from the original on 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Benn, James A. (1998-05-01). "Where Text Meets Flesh: Burning the Body as an Apocryphal Practice in Chinese Buddhism". History of Religions. 37 (4): 295–322. doi:10.1086/463512. ISSN 0018-2710. S2CID 161838135. Archived from the original on 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
  8. ^ a b Peiyun, Li (December 10, 2016). "揭密：和尚的頭上為什麼有六個戒疤？" [Revealed: Why are there six scars on the monk's head?]. China Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Chandler, Stuart (2004). Establishing a Pure Land on earth : the Foguang Buddhist perspective on modernization and globalization. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-8248-6240-4. OCLC 875895218. Archived from the original on 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  10. ^ Thanh, Minh (2000). "The Brahma Net Sutra". New York: Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  11. ^ "Tapta Mudra Dharana". Uttaradi Math. Archived from the original on 2014-04-19. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  12. ^ Udupi, July 11, DHNS (2013-05-21). "'Tapta Mudra Dharana' ceremony held". Deccanherald.com. Archived from the original on 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2014-06-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Strode, Will (January 6, 2017). "Dragon Ball Z: 15 Things You Need to Know About Krillin". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Padula, Derek (2015). Dragon Ball culture. Volume 3, Battle. United States. ISBN 978-0-9831205-0-6. OCLC 907773248. Archived from the original on 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2022-08-21.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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