Sutara offering money

Japanese: 修多羅供銭 - すたらぐせん

It is also called "Shutaragusen" or "Sutra Money." It is the budget for the Sutara who recited and lectured on the Mahayana Sutra and the Vinaya Commentary at the great temples of Nara during the Nara period, and for the Sutara who engaged in this. At Daian-ji, it amounted to nearly 28% of the temple's total budget, which gives an idea of its scale. The Sutara were divided into the Daishutara who held large-scale recitation lectures on a certain day each year, and the Joshutara who held regular recitation lectures every day. Among them, there were those who were established by imperial decree in 749 (Tenpyo Shoho 1), such as the Daishutara of Todai-ji, and those who had existed since the early Nara period, such as those at Daian-ji and Kofuku-ji.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

〈しゅたらぐせん〉ともよみ，修多羅衆銭ともいう。奈良時代の南都諸大寺において，《大小乗一切経律論疏》を転読講説する修多羅供，およびそれに従事する修多羅衆の予算。大安寺では寺の全予算額の28％近くに達しており，その規模がうかがわれる。修多羅衆には毎年一定期日に大規模な転読講説を行う大修多羅衆と，毎日平常の転読講説を行う常修多羅衆があった。さらにその中には，東大寺大修多羅衆のごとく749年(天平勝宝1)の詔によって設置されたものと，大安寺･弘福寺の両衆のごとく奈良初期から存在したものがあった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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