Jièbā (戒疤) is an extremely painful ritual. Typically, sticks of incense are affixed to the head with paste and set a flame. The incense smolders for approximately five minutes. The final two minutes are the most excruciating as the incense burns down to the scalp. Each of the resulting marks represents one of the fundamental Buddhist precepts or rules of conduct.
At times this practice was more popular than at other periods in history. The ritual was frequently outlawed in China (Zhōngguó 中国), most recently during the Qīng dynasty (清 朝). In 2007, that ban was partially lifted by the Chinese government and the ancient ceremony was performed at Shaolin Monastery for the first time in approximately 300 years.
Of approximately 800 candidates originally invited to participate in the month long ceremony, only 100 monks were scheduled to receive jièbā. However, 57 of these monks eventually elected to forego the ritual. In the end, 43 monks chose to participate in the ceremony.
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| Yánfan receiving jièbā at Shaolin Monastery 2007 |
Ring Scars (Jieba)
Regarding its origin, according to Tan Xuan's "Verification of Incense Scars in the Ordination of Chinese Monks", it is said to have started in the 25th year of the Zhiyuan era of Kublai Khan (1288). At that time, the monk Zhide, who was the abbot of Tianxi Temple in Jinling, administered the vows to the seven assemblies and burned incense on their heads as a lifelong oath. This gradually became a custom.
In later generations, Chinese Buddhists used this to show their faith. For ordained monks, the burning of ring scars became a way to identify ordained monks from lay disciples. However, this was not a common Buddhist practice. It is unique to China and not practiced in other countries.
Chinese Name: 戒疤 (Jièbā)
English Name: Ring scar
Also Known As: 香疤 (Xiāngbā - Incense Scar)
Definition: Scars left from burning incense on the body.
Number of Scars: One, two, three, six, nine, or twelve.
Introduction
Ring scars, also known as incense scars, are the scars left by Buddhists who burn incense on their bodies to receive a pure precept body. This practice may be based on the idea of self-sacrifice as an offering or to eliminate self-attachment. The burning of ring scars during ordination is also called "burning incense scars".
The number of scars is generally one, two, three, six, nine, or twelve. Twelve dots indicate the highest "Bodhisattva Precepts". Lay Buddhists often burn scars on their wrists the night before receiving the Bodhisattva Precepts, while ordained monks' scars are mostly on the top of their heads.
Regulation
In December 1983, the expanded meeting of the council of the Buddhist Association of China made a "Resolution on the Issue of Tonsure and Ordination in Han Chinese Buddhist Temples". The resolution stated the practice of burning ring scars on the head of the ordained person "is not an original Buddhist ritual, and because it is detrimental to physical health, it will be abolished from now on". Since then, newly ordained Han Chinese monks no longer have ring scars on their heads.
Origin
Article 16 of the 48 minor precepts of the Brahmajala Sutra says, "If one burns one's body, arms, or fingers; if one does not burn one's body, arms, or fingers as an offering to the Buddhas, one is not an ordained Bodhisattva."
Volume 6 of the Surangama Sutra says, "If a bhikshu resolves to practice samadhi, and can, before an image of the Tathagata, burn a lamp on his body, burn a finger, or burn an incense stick on his body, I say this person's beginningless karmic debts are paid off at once."
The "Medicine King Bodhisattva's Former Deeds" chapter of the Lotus Sutra says, "There was a Bodhisattva named Sarvasattvapriyadarśana who burned his body and arms as an offering to the Buddhas."
From these scriptures, it is clear that body-burning originally had a twofold meaning: first, to express the highest offering; second, to eliminate karmic obstacles. The location of the burning was not limited to the head. The body, arms, and fingers were all acceptable.
Misconceptions
Some monks have scars on their heads from being burned with incense. This is a clear external sign of Han Chinese Buddhist monastics. So many people mistakenly believe that all monks must have ring scars. In movies or TV shows depicting stories from the Tang and Song dynasties, the monks on screen all have ring scars, which is laughable to anyone with a little knowledge of Buddhist history.
In fact, Buddhism does not promote burning ring scars. There is no provision in Buddhist precepts for burning scars on the head of an ordained person. Therefore, except for Han Chinese monks, monks from other countries and Chinese ethnic minorities do not have ring scars. Even among Han Chinese monastics, those ordained before the Song dynasty would not have ring scars on their heads.
History
The custom of burning ring scars is said to have originated in the Yuan dynasty. At that time, a monk named Zhide was respected by Emperor Shizu of Yuan (Kublai Khan). When he conducted ordinations, he stipulated that each recipient should have incense burned on their head.
Those receiving the śrāmaṇera (novice) precepts would have three sticks of incense burned, while those receiving the bhikṣu (full monk) precepts would have twelve, as a lifelong vow. This small invention later quietly spread and was passed down through generations. This is, of course, a custom that harms the body, a small "local specialty" of Han Chinese Buddhist culture.
From this, we can also see a characteristic of the Han Chinese Buddhist cultural circle. In the later stages of Buddhist development, "popular belief" had far more power than the "elite culture" composed of a very small number of thinkers (Buddhist scholars). The Yuan monk Zhide, who invented the burning of incense scars (commonly known as "branding incense holes"), was not a Buddhist scholar at all, but the breadth and depth of the transmission of his small invention were incomparable to the teachings of any famous high monk after Huineng.
Another theory claims the practice of Chinese monks burning scars began with Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties. Emperor Wu was an ardent Buddhist. He thrice offered himself to Buddhist temples as a monk and was thrice ransomed back by his ministers with large sums of money.
At that time, he granted amnesty to death row prisoners, ordering them to become monks. But fearing they would escape the monastery and commit crimes again, he used the punishment of tattooing the face or burning scars on their heads for easy identification and capture. This was the beginning of Chinese Buddhists burning scars. Later, scar burning was considered the beginning of ascetic practice in Buddhism, and it was gradually applied to all monks, becoming one of the identifiers of monks in the eyes of the laity.
Number of Scars
Anyone who becomes a monk or nun must shave their head, which is called tonsure in Buddhism. Besides the tonsure ceremony, there is also a "heart-cleansing" ceremony. That is, after entering the temple and studying for a period, those with excellent results will have their first ring scar, called "cleansing the heart", burned by an old monk with an incense stick. Then, in the next year or two, if they perform well, they are eligible for a second ring scar, called "joy and fortune."
Related Information
Occasionally, people ask how to distinguish a Chinese Buddhist monk. The common answer is: look at the top of his head. Unless he has grown his hair out, you should see several rows of small, round, white scars on his scalp. These dots are called "incense scars" and are burned with moxa at the end of the ordination ceremony.
Its history may date back to the Song dynasty. After Emperor Yongzheng (1723–1736) stopped issuing official ordination certificates, monks turned to scar-burning as a means of identification. Burning scars, like burning fingers, was originally an offering to the Buddha. Whatever its origin, scar-burning was very common among Chinese monks in this century.
Guangdong province was an exception. At Dinghu Mountain and other monasteries in Guangdong, the scars were burned on the inside of the left forearm, not the head. J. B. Pratt wrote that a monk, "according to his own zeal and courage", could burn three, nine, or twelve scars.
At Baohua Mountain, there was no choice. Those receiving the bhikṣu precepts were burned with twelve scars, no more, no less. Those receiving the upāsaka precepts had nine. Śrāmaṇeras had three.
The number of scars was said to be similar throughout Jiangsu province. Although, it did vary in monasteries elsewhere. If the ordination master for a particular year stipulated at least nine scars, the ordinand could burn three more to show piety.
Quotation
Usually (at Baohua Mountain) incense scars are burned the day before receiving the Bodhisattva precepts. However, some monasteries do it after the Bodhisattva precepts. In any case, it cannot be done too late in the evening, the reason for which Prip-Møller explains in detail. His description of scar-burning in his book "Chinese Buddhist Monasteries" is worth quoting here.
"The śrāmaṇera wraps a prayer blanket tightly around his neck, holding the small red bag received in the previous ceremony. The bag contains twelve to fourteen small black moxa pellets made from mugwort, each about one centimeter high. Standing before the śrāmaṇera is one of the officiating monks.
He coats his left thumb with wax made from dried longan fruit. After taking the flammable moxa pellets from the offered small red bag, this monk applies the wax to the bottom of the pellets and places them one by one on the small circles marked on the śrāmaṇera's scalp. Then, he takes a paper spill and quickly lights the twelve moxa pellets.
He alone, or with an assistant standing behind the kneeling śrāmaṇera, presses the śrāmaṇera's head firmly to keep it still. Due to the burning pain, the śrāmaṇera will inevitably make involuntary movements, which might cause the moxa pellets to roll off and brand the wrong spot. So this procedure and the blanket around the neck are necessary.
During the preparation phase, and as the moxa is lit and burns, the śrāmaṇera and the assistant monk continuously chant "Namo Benshi Shijiamouni Fo" (Homage to our original teacher Śākyamuni Buddha) or "Amituofo" (Amitābha Buddha). As the twelve blazing points get closer to the scalp, we can almost gauge the degree of pain by the rhythm of the chanting. The Buddha's name is repeated faster and faster in the śrāmaṇera's mouth, and the pitch gradually rises, until finally - usually at the moment the fire touches the scalp - it stops with a cry of pain.
The moxa burns for about a minute. I have seen people who endured the ordeal without flinching, and have also seen old men and children beat the officiating monk's knees with their hands, as if they were both young men. When observing among adults, I have never seen any nun or female lay disciple get scarred, whether three or twelve, without making a sound or trembling, which is interesting to note.
The momentary pain is not the only adverse consequence of scar-burning. If precautions are not taken, it will inevitably damage eyesight and the visual system. Sleeping after being scarred can cause temporary blood poisoning, yet sleep is almost irresistible.
If the śrāmaṇera cannot resist the drowsiness and falls asleep, irreparable consequences will be unavoidable, such as diminished vision or blindness, swelling of the head, etcetera. To help the śrāmaṇera fight off sleepiness, the monastery authorities announce that they are allowed to wander freely throughout the monastery, see men and women, visit the guest hall, the abbot's quarters, using their natural curiosity to help them stay awake.
Huiju Temple burns scars at nine in the morning, as does Gulin Temple in Nanjing. Throughout that day, śrāmaṇeras can be seen wandering around, peeking into or browsing rooms that are normally strictly forbidden to them. At nine in the evening, the abbot orders them to stay awake until midnight. After twelve o'clock, they can finally relax and let the tired wanderers find their well-deserved and long-awaited rest."
Related Topic
The so-called transmission of precepts is when a Buddhist monastery gathers people who volunteer to become monks or nuns, sets up an ordination platform, and holds an ordination ceremony to make them official monks and nuns.
From the perspective of the seeker of precepts, there are many conditions for becoming a monk or nun, such as personal willingness, family consent, being free of debt, having regular facial features, etcetera. These may not always be practically met, but this is what Buddhism requires.
A person who wants to become a monk must first contact a monastery and request a bhikṣu in the monastery to be their "relying master". With the understanding and consent of all the monks in the temple, the monastery can then accept this person as a disciple, shave their hair and beard, and give them the śrāmaṇera precepts (ten in total). This is what is called a "śrāmaṇera".
A śrāmaṇera, what is commonly called a little monk in Han areas, is not yet considered an official monk. The original meaning of śrāmaṇera in Sanskrit is "diligently urged" and "ceasing wrongdoing and practicing kindness", meaning that one should be diligent in receiving the master's encouragement and cease evil deeds to practice kindness. The age of a śrāmaṇera is generally between seven and twenty.
During this period, his "relying master" has the responsibility to educate and raise him. When he reaches the age of twenty, after agreement by a meeting of the monks, ten great virtuous elders are gathered to hold an ordination ceremony for him. This ordination is called the bhikṣu precepts, and the rules are much more complex than the śrāmaṇera precepts, with 250 in total.
The conditions for becoming an official monk are thus met, so it is also called the full precepts. From then on, one obtains the qualification of an official monk. Five years after receiving the bhikṣu precepts, one can leave the relying master and practice independently.
In addition to the śrāmaṇera and bhikṣu precepts, there is a final Bodhisattva precept, with 10 major and 48 minor precepts. However, this is not mandatory and is based on personal choice. The śrāmaṇera precepts must be received individually, while the bhikṣu precepts can be received by up to three people at the same time.
Incense Scars
Why do Chinese monastics burn scars on their heads? It is precisely because the patriarchs understood the meaning of burning incense scars that they burned them for the ordained. Some laypeople understand the meaning and burn incense scars on their arms or legs, or burn a finger joint.
A male layperson at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in the United States burned a little finger joint. He said it didn't hurt when it was burned, but the next day it was unbearably painful, and he had to take painkillers. But other laypeople who have had incense scars burned say there is no pain.
The method is to stick a soybean-sized piece of mushy banana pulp on the arm or leg, then insert a lit incense stick (with the flame extinguished), about an inch long, into the banana paste. After the incense burns out, you don't do anything about it. There is only a feeling of heat but no pain. No medicine is needed.
Be careful not to get it infected. It will quickly blister, and after a day or two, the blister will disappear and a scar will form. I have only heard this from laypeople who have been scarred and have not practiced it myself.
Scar-burning was originally intended for ordained bhikṣus. The practice was not intended for lay disciples. In modern times, whether to participate in the ritual or not is one's own business. Many laypeople choose to burn incense scars on their arms or legs. Frequently, they won't tell you and typically you won't see their scars.
WARNING AND DISCLAIMER
Do not attempt his at home kids!
The information presented here is for scholarly and educational purposes only. It is not an endorsement of the practice. Nor is it suggested that any person should attempt any procedure or ritual described herein.
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