Constructing Memory of the Late Masters: Stūpa Inscriptions for Buddhist Monastics of Fourteenth-Century China

What kind of memories does the epitaph of a late Buddhist master preserve? Whose memories are they? To what extent are epitaphs faithful representations of the memories of the deceased? This paper examines the genre of stūpa inscriptions—memorial texts inscribed on the exterior of typically monumental stone structures (stūpa or ta) that contain the relics of a late monk or nun—through the lens of memory construction. Focusing on the stūpa inscriptions of Buddhist monastics from fourteenth-century China, this paper explores the processes by which religious memory was negotiated, crafted, and promoted in both immaterial and material terms, as it was first committed to paper and then transposed to stone. Stūpa inscriptions preserve a combination of collective and individual memories, transmitted in writing through the concerted efforts of disciples, friends, and donors within the circles of the deceased, sometimes decades after the stūpa was built.