“Supreme Royal Decrees” in the Chinese Tradition: Evolution of the Genre and Its Potential for the Study of Buddhist History

The article examines the role of “Supreme Royal Decrees” as the most valuable historical evidence for understanding the development of Buddhism in China. The author studies the evolution of such documents over the centuries, analyzing their legal force and ritual significance, as well as their influence on the management of Bud-dhist communities in different periods of Chinese history. Particular attention is paid to how the form and content of decrees changed, reflecting the processes of bureaucratization, as this was manifested in practice, creating a kind of “normative gradient” – the difference in the execution of decrees at the central and regional levels. Various methods are used for the analysis: historical, socio-cultural, political and legal approaches, as well as critical discourse analysis. In addition, the study relies on modern digital tools of philology and diplomatic analysis (study of the authenticity and origin of documents). The work offers the author’s perspective on the complex relationship between China and the Buddhist religion, demonstrating how imperial edicts both reflected and shaped their interactions.