Dragon King Rainmaking Rituals in a Time of Climate Crisis: Ecological Futures in Chinese Buddhism

This paper examines Buddhist Dragon King rainmaking rituals in China as a ritual response to ecological crisis. Drawing on Huayan Buddhist philosophy—particularly Fazang’s doctrine of Dependent Arising in the Dharmadhātu—it argues that these rituals embody a relational cosmology in which humans, natural forces, and spiritual beings participate in an interconnected ecological network. Combining textual analysis, historical research, and ethnographic observation, the study explores both scriptural rainmaking traditions and a contemporary ritual performed during a drought in northern China in 2023. Engaging ritual theory from Catherine Bell and Victor Turner, the paper interprets rainmaking rituals not simply as petitions for rainfall but as communal practices that cultivate ecological awareness, solidarity, and ethical responsibility toward the natural world. In light of the 2026 AAR Presidential Theme “Future,” the paper suggests that Buddhist ritual traditions offer important resources for reimagining ecological relationships and developing religious responses to the global climate crisis.