More Than Curing the Sick: A Re-Examination of Medicine Buddha Worship in Medieval China

Abstract: The study questions and challenges the dichotomous approach that associates the worship of Medicine Buddha solely with the worldly benefits of the living, thereby neglecting its relevance to the concerns related to the deceased. The research investigates medieval devotees’ religious activities dedicated to this divinity, focusing on the Sui (581–618) and the Tang (618–907) dynasties when such devotion gained increasing popularity in China. It reveals that medieval veneration dedicated to Medicine Buddha transcended the presumed dichotomy, encompassing the well-being of both the living and the dead. This finding underscores the importance of moving beyond the limited perception. Instead of adopting the simplistic label of a “healing divinity,” contextualizing the worship within its broader religious milieu can better capture its full complexity. By extension, the research paves the way for reconsidering the conventional classification that assigns relatively fixed symbolic values to Buddhist deities, which contributes to a more thorough and nuanced understanding of religious practices and beliefs.