漢譯《維摩詰經》文獻回顧及其與中國文學的關係

有關《維摩詰經》的信仰在經典本身宣示的「居士文化」性格，已經有別於其他一般佛經的意義；加上，此經內容與形式在佛典中均屬罕見，經中思想與故事素材都對中國文學有深遠影響，成為與中國居士文化與文學關係最為密切的一部經典。佛藏中今存三種維摩詰經譯本，其中鳩摩羅什譯本出現以後，一直流行不衰，今存唐、五代敦煌講經文，以至歷代詩文中引用的維摩經故實，絕大部份是出自羅什譯本。這必然牽涉到中土信眾對語文的理解與吸收過程，存在著譯本本身的文學性因素與古德注疏梳理原典的流衍過程。本文嘗試透過「現存三個漢譯本之比較」、「古德註疏之考察」、「譯本本身之文學性研究」與「《維摩詰經》與中國文化、文學的關係」等幾個重心，對《維摩詰經》研究先做一番全面性的文獻回顧，以掌握未來進一步耕耘《維摩詰經》與中國文學研究的方向。據本文的觀察，未來可進行的文學研究方向可分為（一）譯本本身之文學性研究；（二）《維摩詰經》與中國文化、文學的關係兩大面向，其中《維摩詰經》與中國文化、文學的關係，重心必然落在以下三層：1.維摩詰的故事與居士文化；2.維摩詰故事與《維摩詰經》重要思想觀念所產生的文學意象；3.小說、詩文、戲劇等分體文學的觀察。

關鍵字

《維摩詰經》；文學意象；居士文化；佛經文學

並列摘要

The Vimalakirti Sutra shows the distinctive ideal of ＂lay bodhisattvas,＂ different from most other Buddhist sutras. Moreover, the sutra's content and form are also unique. The thought and stories in the sutra have had a profound influence on Chinese literature, making the sutra extremely important to Chinese Buddhist householders and Chinese literature. Three translations of the Vimalakirti Sutra can be seen in the existing Chinese Buddhist Canon, among which the Kumārajīva version has enjoyed enduring popularity. Most of the Dunhuang manuscripts expounding the sutra, as well as literary works with allusions referencing the sutra, is based on this version. The version's wide acceptance is presumably related to features of the translated text, which is read and understood by Chinese Buddhists. Hence, it is important to consider the literary merit of the translations, as well as the circulation of commentaries on the sutra. To thoroughly review the related literature and prepare for future studies on the Vimalakirti Sutra and Chinese literature, this article explores the following issues: the comparison of the three existing Chinese translations; the review of commentaries by ancient masters; the literary merit of the translations; and the sutra's impact on Chinese culture and literature. This article suggests two possible directions for future studies on the Vimalakirti Sutra in the literary field: the literary merit of the sutra's text itself and the sutra's influence on Chinese culture and literature. The latter one can be further divided into three parts: 1) the story of Vimalakirti and the Buddhist householder in Chinese; 2) literary images that originate from the sutra's key ideas; and 3) how different literary genres including fiction, poetry, prose, drama and so on draw from the sutra.