Ritual and Space: The Therapeutic Function of the Recitations of the Hexi Baojuan

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This is a detailed inventory, discussion, and investigation of baojuan healing rituals in China. The modes of creating ritual spaces and of chanting, and burning of incense, are delineated.

Some particular points arise that the author could clarify:

-Baojuan  are described as 'non-indigenous'.A note on this usage would be helpful.

-The author uses the terms 'witchcraft' and 'wizard' to describe specialists with 'magical' powers. In English 'witch' has a pejorative sense, not here intended.

-The author discusses the creation of sacred space by ritual means.  Reference to the work of Edward Casey on space and place would be helpful there.

 - There are occasional problems of English language terms that the author should check, e.g. plural vs singular verb forms, and p.7 'infortune' should be 'misfortune' 

 - p.'10 use of term 'placebo' does nor really apply, because the healing ritual here is not instead of medicine, it is the medicine

Author Response

1.Most of Hexi Baojuan were introduced from other regions, and only a few were created by local people, but this did not stop local chanters from using them as tools for ritual healing. According to the author's research, Baojuan created by locals are also greatly influenced by those from other regions. This shows that healing ritual of Baojuan is a phenomenon that exists widely in the region where Baojuan are circulated in China.

2.The ritual experts(masters) who chant and sing Baojuan are known locally as Baojuan chanters. They are not exactly the same as wizards, so they are referred to as Baojuan chanter.

3.The author will read and study Professor Edward Casey's books and papers. Thanks to reviewers for their comments.

4.As for the problems in English expressions and use in this paper, the author has intensively proofread the paper. Many expressions have been modified and some sentences rephrased. 

5.As for the term of placebo, the author’s original idea was that the therapeutic ritual is like a kind of placebo and its symbolic therapeutic significance is greater than drug therapy. In the paper, the term of placebo is a symbolic expression, not real a dummy pill.

Reviewer 2 Report

This is an interesting piece of very detailed discussion of baojuan scriptures and songs.  The author might want to answer a few points of clarification:

 - Is the author a practitionor, or from the local area?

 - Has the author observed the ritual actions described?

 - How does the ritual induce moods and emotions?

 - Are the healers and patients male, female ?

 -Do the ritual performers received pay?

 -What language(s) are the baojuan books written in?

  - At end of paper -- issues to be solved -- Should this be 'analyzed'?  Or should it be 'described?

 - Definition of 'chant' by contrast with 'song' could be explored.

 

Author Response

1.The author is not a local or a Baojuan chanter, but an objective observer and a scholar of ritual healing. However, the author often participates in the healing rituals of the Baojuan chanters and has conducted a long-term field investigation on this subject.

2.While observing the therapeutic rituals, the author noticed the gestures and movements of the ritual experts, but could not fully understand the meaning of these gestures and movements, and could only confirm the symbolic therapeutic significance of these movements. The author will continue the research on this subject and discuss these in other papers.

3.The gender of the ritual experts and participants (i.e., the patient) is a complex issue that is difficult to fully discuss in this paper. The author will discuss it in other papers. Most of the ritual experts are male, and during the long-term field investigation, the author only found one female Baojuan chanter. Most of the patients are elderly and infirm women, but there are also young men and women, though not in high proportion.

4.The ritual experts charge a fee of around 300 yuan(RMB) per day, but they requested that the fees not be mentioned in the paper for fear of causing unnecessary troubles.

5.The Baojuan were written in simple classical Chinese, which the ritual experts are capable of memorizing and reciting.

6.The function mechanism of the ritual is not easy to be discussed. This paper only made a preliminary discussion from the perspective of symbolic therapy. An easier and more objective way of presentation would be deep description of the ritual process without much discussion, but the author has tried to put forward his point of views and make some analysis and discussion.

7.The way of Baojuan chanting is a combination of reciting and singing, which is quite different from pure singing. There are also special Qupais(曲牌) for Baojuan chanting, but this is another research subject that would be discussed in other papers.

Reviewer 3 Report

This topic is rarely studied and this piece is of course a useful contribution to the field of folklore healing studies in China. Generally, the paper shows a good manner in structure-organizing, argument-building, and theory-developing. However, when I decided to ask minor revisions, I do need the author(s) make revise much more than “minor”. There are some serious concerns for me.  

1\If I am not wrong, all cited Western literatures are from Chinese translations in this piece. This manuscript is in English and the published paper will allow readers who read in English to search for original texts in English and other Western languages. The author(s) should find the original English publications (for other Western languages such as French, the author may use the original language publications or English translations) to cite them directly with exact pager number in the English texts, if the number is needed, and ignore citing Chinese translation directly. This is very important for a scientific work published in an English journal. It should be noted that meaning can be greatly lost in the language transmission, especially between Western and Eastern languages. I assume that the author(s) may read Chinese translations first then transform information into English again. In this way, meanings may be altered and different from what the original author intended. 

2/The author(s) seems to cite too much from one single author such as Zhao 2011. For an example, when mentioning Durkheim, the author(s) should directly cite from Durkheim’s works instead of citing from Zhao’s citation from Durkheim. The whole section “2.1. What is Scared Space?” is cited from Zhao 2011. I cannot find Zhao’s book to read, thus do not know these arguments (such as two levels of meaning and symbols) are from Zhao or from the author(s) of this paper. It is no way to cite one single work to make the whole section. There are numerous scholars to study sacred space. The author(s) should integrate major scholars in this field. Here, I ask the author(s) to rewrite this section.

3/The section “3.4. Safely Passing through the Liminal State” begins with Gennep’s liminality theory. Gennep is just an initiator for this theory, many others have developed this theory in the later periods such as Victor Turner. The authors should at least to integrate Gennep and Turner instead of mentioning Gennep only.

4. Other concerns of mine include:

# The paper first states “There is a saying that every generation has its literature.” This state from the very famous scholar Wang Guowei. His name is worthy to be input in the main text.

# “Baojuan” is familiar to the author(s), but not for readers, especially for Western readers. The author(s) should interpret the literal meaning of the word and what it is in the ritual practices in China.

# When the author(s) cites Douglas’ work, please directly cite from this scholar, instead of citing from Zhou who cited from Douglass (1.2.1).

# Please do not use the term “witchcraft” and “primitive witchcraft”. I assume these are inaccurate translated words from the Chinese language in Zhao’ text. Please find other words to replace. The author(s) should be aware of contemporary anthropological trend and of that scholars today are very careful to use some evolutionist terms such as “primitive” (1.2.2).

# Dorling seems to me a “publisher” but not an author (3,3 and reference list). And more, I cannot find an English monograph “New Age Paranormal Medicine” online. I feel that this title is possibly translated by the author(s) from the Chinese translation of the English title. Please find the original English work with the original title and revise it.

# This special issue is related contemporary shamanism. Therefore, the author(s) should use one or two sentences to state why the Baojuan healing is related to shamanism or not related. Either statement works, but at least the author(s) should mention this.

# Please organize the references in the journal style. The author(s) may do this according to published papers in Religions.

Author Response

1.For the references in the paper, original English works will be cited if the original English version can be found and page numbers are marked as far as possible. Entries that cannot be page numbered are summaries of point of views of the text by the author, not direct reference.   

2.Part 2.1 of the paper has been revised and restructured. Some unrelated arguments are deleted and the author's thoughts of sacred space are added.

3.Victor Turner's discussion is added to Section 3.4. Safely Passing through the Liminal State.

4.Wang Guowei, who put forward the idea that every generation has its literature, is input in the main text.

5.A description of the definition of Baojuan is added in the paper.

6.For the scholars concerned in the paper, such as Durkheim, Douglas, etc., their arguments will be cited directly, no longer via other scholars.

7.As for the questions about the use of the words of “witchcraft" and "witch" in the text, these words in the Chinese context do not have a derogatory connotation. But to avoid controversy, terms like "magic arts" and "Baojuan chanter" are used to replace them for describing local ritual masters.

8.Dorling is a publisher, and this book is collectively edited by this company.   

9.Regarding the relationship between the healing rituals of Hexi Baojuan and shamanism, they have commonality in spiritual healing. However, there are big differences in the form (such as whether there is spirit possession), which the author explained at the end of the paper.

10.As for the problems in English expressions and use in this paper, the author has intensively proofread the paper. Many expressions have been modified and some sentences rephrased.

Reviewer 4 Report

The topic of research is very original and interesting, however, the article has considerable drawbacks. 1. This is an article translated from Chinese, and translation is not always good. Many important terms, such as fulu, have not been translated, or translations are wrong, such as "chanting and singing " of baojuan. The translation must be revised before publication. The conclusions are not very clear, perhaps because of the inadequate English translation. 2. The article does not engage with recent scholarship in the English language. The author has not cited important works on the ritual function of the baojuan texts by Overmyer, Berezkin, and Xiaosu Sun. These also involve therapeutic function of the recitations. See for example, Xiaosu Sun. "Liu Qingti's Canine Rebirth and Her Ritual Career as the Heavenly Dog: Recasting Mulian's Mother in Baojuan (Precious Scrolls) Recitation," CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral and Performing Literature, 35.1 (2016): 28-55. Rostislav Berezkin. “Paying for Salvation: the Ritual of ‘Repaying the Loan for Life’ and Telling Scriptures in Changshu, China.” Asian Ethnology, 77, no. 1-2 (2018): 307-329. Rostislav Berezkin. “The Precious Scroll of the Blood Pond in the ‘Telling Scriptures’ Tradition in Changshu, Jiangsu, China”. Religions. 12 (865) (2021). 3. The paper does not explain the contents of the texts from Hexi. Baojuan are primarily known as the narrative texts in the modern period, but many texts mentioned in the work are not narrative. Their names sound more like the Daoist scriptures. The author must explain the special features of these texts and provide the definition of baojuan as used in this article. 4. Besides, the author does not differentiate between traditional and new texts. For example, Zhan wenshen baojuan has been composed recently by the local cultural workers. How and where was it integrated in the recitation performances? 5. The comparison between the Daoist ritual and baojuan ritual is necessary. Besides, enough comparison between baojuan recitation practices in several areas of China (for example, Jiangsu) has not been provided. 6. The author needs to include more information on his fieldwork experience: which occasions and where observed, which performers, etc. 7. Wanwei encyclopedia is provided as a source on the history and culture of the Hexi corridor. Why special publications about these have not been cited?

Author Response

Description on Revision and Clarification on Questions

Description on Revision

The translation is revised by an American expert (postdoctoral supervisor of the author), please refer to the highlighted section of the paper.

Clarification on Questions

For a long time, there has been a great misconception in the understanding and research of Hexi Baojuan. According to some collections of Hexi Baojuan published, Baojuan of story-telling (gu-shi-lei baojuan 故事类宝卷) appears to be in the majority, but in fact, there is also another tradition of Baojuan of rituals (yi-shi-lei baojuan 仪式类宝卷) in Hexi Baojuan. Recently, there have been some research (e.g., “Research on Hexi Baojuan from the Perspective of Folk Religion”, Cui Yunsheng, 2015) on Hexi Baojuan about rituals from the perspective of folk religion. Our paper focuses on the ritual function in this kind of Baojuan.

It should be mentioned that although some of the Baojuan cited are Taoist scriptures, the local Baojuan masters considered them Baojuan, as they recited these scriptures during their rituals. In the eyes of ordinary people, it really does not matter what are the contents of the Baojuan recited, but rather the construction of a sacred space of the ritual and the integrity of the ritual links matter. Here, we have adopted the view of the local Baojuan masters, and included some of the Taoist scriptures that they used in our discussion of Baojuan. This can also be illustrated by the overlap of the identities of the local Baojuan master and local Taoist priest, both recite Baojuan of story-telling and utilize Baojuan of rituals.

The focus of this paper is to discuss the therapeutic function of the rituals of recitations of Baojuan, and in particular to analyze the mechanism of this function, namely, how the ritual functions. It is a theoretical study rather than a survey report of ritual practice. Research on Baojuan of rituals, Daniel L. Overmyer was an important scholar. His Precious Volumes: An Introduction to Chinese Sectarian Scriptures from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries is the representative work of the study by western scholars on the relationship between Chinese Baojuan and folk religion. Several articles by Russian Sinologist Rostislav Berezkin focus on the Baojuan texts used in the preaching rituals in Jiangnan region and the study of ritual practices, rather than the study of the mechanism of ritual functions. So are Sun Xiaosu’s articles. Xiaosu Sun. Liu Qingti's Canine Rebirth and Her Ritual Career as the Heavenly Dog: Recasting Mulian's Mother in Baojuan (Precious Scrolls) Recitation, CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral and Performing Literature, 35.1 (2016): 28-55; Rostislav Berezkin. Paying for Salvation: the Ritual of “Repaying the Loan for Life” and Telling Scriptures in Changshu, China. Asian Ethnology, 77, no. 1-2 (2018): 307-329; Rostislav Berezkin. The Precious Scroll of the Blood Pond in the “Telling Scriptures” Tradition in Changshu, Jiangsu, China,Religions. 12 (865) (2021).

The comparison between the Daoist ritual and baojuan ritual and the comparison between baojuan recitation practices in several areas of China (for example, Jiangsu), are very complex issues that I will study in other articles.

Dai Jisheng is a local master who recites scrolls and is also a folk Taoist. Between 2018 and 2020, the author conducted multiple interviews and on-site observations on Dai's ritual related to scrolls.

The history, geography, climate, ethnic distribution and other information of the Hexi Corridor are mainly seen in the Hexi Corridor Series of China (four volumes in total)中国河西走廊系列丛书（全四册）, Lanzhou: Gansu Culture Publishing House, 2010.

I greatly appreciate the professional and enthusiastic comments made by the reviewer. The author will try the best to revise the paper and improve the overall quality.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 4 Report

The article has been improved a lot in terms of contents, arguement and the use of English language. However, there are still problems with the adequate translation and expression in English, final editing by the professional editor recommended. Fore example, such phrases as "Research on "Baojuan of rituals" (yi-shi-lei baojuan 仪式类宝卷), Daniel L. Overmyer was an important scholar.", " Finally, in other areas where the practice of recitations of Baojuan as a religious ritual is declining, Hexi Baojuan still retain a certain living space and have formed a distinct cultural ecosystem", "According to the investigation and interview of Dai Jisheng (代继生) xii, an inheritor of Hexi Baojuan, when performing the healing ritual", are not grammatically correct. Mant expressions are not idiomatic in English.

Author Response

Based on the expert's revision suggestions, I have revised the language expression issues in the paper and asked two colleagues to help with the revisions. I hope to meet the requirements this time. Thanks a lot for the review comments. Please refer to the attachment for detailed modifications.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf