ABSTRACT
Historically, one of the primary functions of the Buddhist monastic populations in Chinese society has been the performance of rituals to secure blessings for the state and for lay believers. Most active monasteries at Wutaishan perform calendrical and donor-sponsored rituals. These rituals both fulfill the spiritual needs of lay believers and provide a means by which the monastic community can exercise its compassion and accumulate positive karma. A variety of rituals are performed at many active Buddhist temples in China at the behest of donors. The performance of sponsored rituals brings donations of money, food and supplies to a monastery and in some cases constitutes the greater portion of a monastery's income. Twentieth-century efforts by some monastic leaders to reform Buddhism focused on eliminating donor-sponsored ritual as an unnecessary distraction from the self-cultivation of monks and nuns and as a superstitious holdover from China's feudal past.
