Buddhist Repentance Thoughts in the Southern and Northern Dynasties

• Main Authors: Chung-chun Sun, 孫鍾鈞
• Other Authors: Kuo-ching Huang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/27533425175286936113

碩士 === 南華大學 === 宗教學研究所 === 101 === 　　Although the period of Chinese history known as the Southern and Northern dynasties was characterized by frequent political upheaval, it was also a time of vibrant cultural diversity and development. It was during this period that Buddhism first laid down deep roots in Chinese, one of the most conspicuous fruits of which was the repentance ritual. During the Eastern Jin dynasty the basic pattern of the Buddhist monastic community was laid down by Master Daoan in his Ten-chapter Vinaya, in which it is stated that the repentance thoughts is to be carried out on the customary observance days. (poṣadha) This stricture was widely adopted at the time, and continued to be observed during the Southern and Northern dynasties, a period in which monastics and laymen alike made detailed studies of the Vinaya, and it was in this religious milieu that the repentance thoughts took shape. During the Three Kingdoms period Zhi Qian translated several proto-Mahayana scriptures which cover repentance, including the Sanpin heiguo jing. Prior to, during, and following the Southern and Northern dynasties quite a few additional translations were made of texts which have a bearing on the concept of repentance, including the Da fangdeng tuoluoni jing, the Guan puxian pusa xingfa jing, the Guan xukongzang pusa jing, the Jinguangming jing, and the Shizhu piposha lun. All of these texts were widely disseminated and thus had an influence of the development of the repentance thoughts. 　 　　The repentance thoughts of Chinese Buddhism has its origins in the poṣadha observance of early Buddhism. By the time of the Southern and Northern dynasties, large numbers of Mahayana scriptures had already been translated, resulting in a shift away from the simple repentance thoughts of early Buddhism, towards a more elaborate affair intended to effect the eradication of evil karma. As the form continued to take on more Mahayana elements, it began to be seen as a way of repenting in front of the buddhas of the ten directions for one’s evil deeds committed in one’s past lives. As the concept of repentance continued to develop it began to incorporate various Confucian ideas, such as zhaijie, shouguo, and zhaijiao, at which point the ritual had taken on a distinctively Chinese flavor. Amongst the distinctive forms which developed during the Southern and Northern dynasties are the busa fa, the lichen fa, the dasheng jingdian chanhui fa, and the wuhai fa. This long phase of continual development resulted in the production of a large body of related literature describing the rituals and the ideas on which they were based. 　 　　During the subsequent Sui dynasty the Tiantai master Zhi Yi formulated his four repentance rituals based on the Mahayana scriptures, and these are the direct forerunners of the repentance rituals that have formed such an important element of Chinese Buddhism ever since. In this paper I focus on the origins and development of the repentance ritual in the Southern and Northern dynasties. After tracing the origins of the repentance ritual to early Indian Buddhism and early Mahayana Buddhism, I proceed to examine various records and documents which shed light on the nature and development of the repentance ritual during the Southern and Northern dynasties. I conclude with a categorization of the various types of repentance rituals which were current during the Southern and Northern dynasties. It is expected that the findings of this research will clarify the key factors which have played a role in the development of the repentance ritual of Chinese Buddhism, at the same time elucidating both how and why it’s practiced.