Localizing a Bodhisattva in late imperial China : Kṣitigarbha, Mt. Jiuhua, and their connections in precious scrolls

This paper examines the texts and ritual performances of three typical K.itigarbha (Dizang..) or Maudgalyayana (Mulian..) precious scrolls (baojuan..) in late imperial China, with an emphasis on locality. By examining the identification of Jin Dizang... as Dizang Bodhisattva's emanation on Mt. Jiuhua..., Mt. Jiuhua's function as an essential geographical setting in texts, and the ritual contexts for their performances, this paper demonstrates that Mt. Jiuhua's rising fame is intricately reflected in Dizang or Mulian scrolls. Instead of reading these scrolls through the lens of a particular religious group, this paper adopts a local perspective to reveal the ways in which precious scrolls became important venues for representing sacred geography. Thus, this paper works as a case study of the confluences of religious history and vernacular literature