太子晃與文成帝－英年早逝的天才父子政治家大力推廣佛教於北魏的功勳及其政治目的

治中國佛教史或魏晉南北朝史的學人們都知道北魏佛教所以大盛，緣於釋曇曜在獻文帝之世奏請設立「僧祗戶」和「佛圖戶」，後者提供了替寺院耕作與灑掃的人力，俾僧尼能過安定生活；前者則提供慈濟資源，俾遇上災荒之時寺院能向民眾施賑。曜公這兩項大手筆的企業性經營，依本文的研究，其實背後是太子拓跋晃與文成帝獻文帝的祖父和父親的鴻圖遠略。這兩位英年早逝的天才政治家有意通過佛教來幫助少數的鮮卑人有效地統治多數漢人，用以鞏固北魏的異族政權，因此設計大力推廣釋迦遺教於黃河流域，曇曜不過是他們父子的工程師和執行人。即如曜公在文成帝時所開鑿的著名雲崗石窟，其實此舉亦帶有強烈的政治目的，並非專為佛教而建設。

關鍵字

胡族少數統治；佛陀與胡主；英年早逝的天才政治家們底遠見；釋曇曜的企業才能；僧祗戶和佛圖戶對佛教的推展

並列摘要

Since Emperor T'ai-wu (太武帝, R.424～452) of the Northen Wei (北魏) Dynasty conquored the entire Yell River Valley in 439, half of China Proper was under the barbarian rule of the T'o-pa (拓跋) people, a brch of the Tartar tribe of Hsien-pei (鮮卑). As Crown Pnce T'o-pa Huang (拓跋晃, 428~451) , son of the Emperors a genius statesman, he discovered a fact that their empire was established on a foundation of military minority rule. For the population of the Tartar tribe was much less than that of the Chinese people whom were being ruled by the T'o-pa. Therefore, how to maintain a huge empire under minority rule effectively when he succeeded to the throne in the future became a great problem to him. As Buddhism was very popular among the Chinese people in the Yellow River Valley, Crown Prince Huang sought help from this religion. For he observed that traditionally the Chinese people seeing themselves as the people of a Celestial Dynasty and felt contempt for the barbarians. Now, even though Buddhism is a foreign religion from India, but the Chinese accepted her as their own religion and taken refugee to the Buddha. Regardless the late Buddha ( 463?~383? B.C ) , founder of this religion, is in fact a foreigner, nothing differed from that of the other 'barbarians'. As the Chinese had already accepted Buddha the foreigner as their spiritual religious leader, therefore, it would be psychologically more easy for them to accept the fact that they themselves had long been ruling by the barbarian monarch. In this situation, Crown Prince Huang not only taken refugee to the Buddha as a layman in his age of thirteen or fourteen, but also he established a close personal friendship with Ven. T'an-yao (曇曜, ca. 446~470) ,an enterprising Chinese Buddhist monk. Then, Crown Prince Huang discussed with T'an-yao for planning a project of encouraging more Chinese people to become Buddhists. Unfortunately, Emperor T'ai-wu's persecution that supressing the Buddhists arose in 446. Crown Prince Huang did his best to protect the Buddhist clerics, especially Ven. T'an-yao. For he considered that the Buddhist monks and nuns were very helpful for running his minority rule when he was throned. After Crown Prince Huang passed away in 451 and Emperor T'ai-wu also being murdered in 452,Emperor Wen-ch'eng (文成帝440~465,R.452~465) , son of the crown prince, succeeded to his royal grand father's throne in his age of twelve. Like his royal fater, Emperor Wen-ch'eng was also a genius stateman. Both the important Chinese historians Wei Shou (魏收, 506~572) and Ssu-man Kuang (司馬光, 1019~1086) recognized in their works that the foundation for the Northern Wei Dynasty to enjoy a long lasting reign of 148 years was strengthened in the hand of this emperor. After Emperor Wen-ch'eng was throned, he issued a decreed to restore Buddhism, and Ven. T'an-yao was appointed Sa-man T'ung (沙門統) or Controller of the Buddhist Sramanas soonly after. When T'an-yao came to power, he presented a memorial to the court,suggesting to construct five grottoes in Yun-Kang (雲崗) ,a rocky range neighboring the imperial capital. And within these artificial caves many huge or small rock images of Buddha and bodhisattvas were sculptured. This project was approved by the boy emperor, for he understood that this was a way of implying that now the government encouraging her people to go to believe in Buddhism. And also this was the first step of spreading Buddhism in the dominion of the empire. When Emperor Wen-ch'eng's life came to an end and Emperor Hsien-wen (獻文帝, 446~470), his son succeeded to the throne. Ven, T'an-yao taken the second step of spreading buddhism. He presented once again a memorial to the court, appling for the establishment of the Sangha and Buddha Households. In his plan, the Sangha Household collecting enough grains to the Monastic Order, and keeping them in order to feed the starvelings when natural disaster was came. And the Buddha Household, however, suggesting enough working labours to the Order for cultivating the monastic farming lands, cleaning and cleansing the monasteries and nunneries, etc. T'an-yao's application approved by Emperor Hsienwen. For the emperor knew that these two Households would not be only an idea of T'an-yao, but Crown Prince Huang and Emperor Wen- ch'eng, his royal grandfather and father, would have been also participating in the planning works. After the abovementioned Households were established and being put into practice, the Buddha one supplied a stable and comfortable livelihood for the monks and nuns; while the Sangha one accumulating enough source of materials to the Monastic Order, supporting her charitable activities in time when the secular world needed. Through the functions of these two Households, gradually the Northern Wei developed into a state of Buddhism with a population of two million male and female clerics. Therefore, Crown Prince Huang's dream of maintaining a T'o-pa barbarian minority rule effectively came true.