西方淨土的宗教學詮釋

Sukhavati Interpretated from the Standpoint of Western Religious Studies

陳敏齡(Min-Ling Chen)

《中華佛學學報》 13期(上) (2000/05) Pp. 83-103

https://doi.org/10.6986/CHBJ.200005.0083

摘要

亙古以來，佛教徒所追求的極樂世界到底是怎樣的神話？本論文首先說明，神話不是虛構，而是真實的、神聖的故事，它採用象徵性的語言，反覆演說著埋藏在人類心靈深處的原鄉。其次，則從淨土概念的史的發展和結構分析兩方面，說明(1)從印度人最早的理想國土北俱盧洲為始，一直到大乘佛教的各方淨土，可以看到印度人心目中的理想國如何從現實走向超現實的開展。以大地一項，從多山起伏的地形到高山陵谷、甚至連須彌山亦無；聖樹一項，從豐饒多產的樹上生衣到成就佛道的菩提樹；蓮華從有限的數量到無限的數量，而水池從肉體的淨化到靈魂的新生；乃至方位上的從混沌到秩序，等等，在在顯示一種從現實走向超現實的理想化、亦即神話化的進程。(2)相對於淨土概念的從現實到超現實的發展，構成各個淨土的基本要素則幾乎是千篇一律地不斷地重複出現，例如七寶的蓮池、黃金的大地……等等。這種種的基本要素，外表看來似乎充滿了以感官的欲樂為主的色彩，其實只是藉著沿用印度神話中各種能充分引向終極目標的象徵，無論是西方的中心概念、或者是一株巨大的菩提樹、不斷創生的蓮華池、絕對平坦的大地，它真正指向的是宗教所追求的不變的永恆的核心狀態。最後，作者指出：那個二元未分之前的世界就是佛教徒所謂的淨土，它和M.Eliade 的in illo tempore, C. G. Jung 的原型，確實不斷地出現在人類追求理想鄉的夢境裡，雖然它們使用的名稱不盡相同。

關鍵字

極樂淨土 ； 神話 ； 水和蓮華 ； 黃金為地 ； 神聖空間

並列摘要

What is the meaning of the myth of Sukhavati First, the writer explains that myth is not a fairy tale, but a true and sacred story. The myth always tells the dream hidden inside of the innermost of human by symbolic language repeatedly. Second, the article analyzes the concept of Sukhavati with two ways: the historical and structural approach. 1. From the first Utopia-Uttarakuru to many pure-lands of Mahayana, we can observe how the ideal about paradise of Indians has changed from reality to trans-reality. For example, the earth has changed from having many mountains to a flat condition. The tree has changed from the image of actual fecundity to the image of enlightenment of a Buddha. The water has changed from the purification of human's body to the renewal of human's spirit, etc. They all show the process of an idealization or mythologization. 2. On the contrary, the fundamental elements of composing each Buddha's land are almost the same. Although these elements, for example, the gold-earth, the lotus-lakes adorned with the seven gems, are seem to be filled with too much sensuous pleasure in appearance, they are symbolic. The West symbolizes the central axis, the goldearth symbolizes the unchangeable foundation of life. The absolutely flat earth symbolizes the renounce of differing. They all direct to the universal and eternal goal by using the symbol of Indian myth thoroughly. The last, the writer indicate that the state before the separation of unity is nothing but the pure-land. Here, we can see that ＂in illo tempore＂ of M. Eliade or ＂archetype＂ of C. G. Jung appears in the dream of searching for an Utopia as well.

並列關鍵字

pure-land of Sukhavati ； myth ； padma and primordial wate ； gold earth ； sacred place

參考文獻

栂尾祥雲(1927)。曼荼羅の研究。

望月信亨(1930)。淨土教の起源及発達。

中村元(1963)。東西文化の交流。

藤田宏達(1970)。原始淨土思想の研究。

岩本裕(1974)。インド仏教と法華経。