This article explores the meaning of the five-spice taboos from the perspective of Buddhist dietary norms in non-canonical literature. Unlike previous scholars who relied on the Chinese Buddhist Canon, it highlights that abstaining from the five spices is driven by concerns of cleanliness and emotional restraint. The Dunhuang manuscripts on this theme provide unprecedented materials and perspectives within the canonical works, shedding light on various interpretations and enlightening applications of these taboos. By utilizing the existing Dunhuang scrolls, the article interprets the related content, clarifying that these taboos extend beyond Buddhist dietary norms and have transformed into a metaphor for religious practice. Consequently, the evolving meaning of the five-spice taboos has gradually become a distinct symbol of Chinese Buddhist significance.
Furthermore, this article attempts to extensively search for manuscripts related to the theme or content of the five-spice taboos, conducting cross-text comparisons and sorting out the intertextual interweaving among manuscripts. Finally, through a comprehensive analysis from the perspectives of medical formula for meditation instructions, and warnings related to the five pungent spices, this study examines the intertextual relationships among these manuscripts. These Dunhuang materials provide us with information that is distinct from the canons, enriching our understanding and broadening our perspectives on medical formula for meditation instructions, and the symbolic meaning of the five-spice taboos.
Keywords:
five-spice taboos/five pungent spices, Pañca Parivyaya Sūtra, medical formula for meditation instructions, metaphor, Buddhist dietary prescriptions and proscriptions