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淺論華夏俗世婦女的觀世音信仰──兼論這位菩薩的性別問題

A Survey on Why Chinese Females Take Refugee in Avalokitesvara - and on the "Sex" of this Buddhist Bodhisattva

摘要


觀世音是最獲得華夏婦女信奉的一位佛教菩薩,其原因如下:第一,佛經描述這位菩薩能救苦救難,而人們經常會遇上苦難,尤其在過去儒家大男人主義籠罩社會的時代,女性所面對的苦難特多。因此華夏婦女非常渴望當她們遇上苦難時蒙這位菩薩的保祐而脫困厄。其次,佛經又說這位菩薩能保祐已婚婦女生育男嬰。在華人重視子嗣的觀念之下,婦女非常希望觀世音能保祐自己產下兒子,使自己在家庭中受到翁姑的重視。同時,已生育兒子的女性也希望這位菩薩的愛能伸延而保祐自己的骨肉。第三,前已言之,婦女在過去的社會中最受委屈,她們的滿腹辛酸,只好在禱告時向觀世音申訴。然而根據佛經所載,觀世音是一位男性的菩薩,雖然祂能變身為女形而向女子說法,但婦女又豈放心向一位男菩薩細訴自己心中的祕密?因此,她們希望這位女性救主的本身,同時也是女性!緣於這種共同意念之下,好幾種描述觀世音出家前是一位印度王國的公主;苦修之下成為女性菩薩的小說出現。經過小說的渲染,婦女們便篤信觀音確屬女子,由是如今華人不論男女,都普遍地接受這位菩薩屬慈悲的女子這一觀念。本文更考出大約在北宋乾德2年(964)以前,觀世音已被普遍視作女菩薩,不過在唐代元和8年(813)左右,「她」的性別仍未改變。本文原屬仕邦於民國88年~90年度繳交給本研究所的研究專題《佛教傳入中國後對婦女的革命性影響》中的第十章,如今稍作修改,先提出以應本學報的邀稿。

並列摘要


Among the Buddhist Bodhisattvas, Avalokitesvara (well-known to the Chinese as Guanyin〔觀音〕) is most believed in and even taken refuge in by the Chinese females. It is because: Firstly, in the Imperial period, the Chinese society had long been influenced by the Confucian male chauvinist atmosphere. Under this atmosphere, females used to suffer from unfairness and inequality. As the Buddhist sacred scriptures say, females would win the blessing from Guanyin after they recite 'her' name anxiously, then their difficulties would be overcome. Therefore, they follow the instruction of the scriptures, as they believe that the blessing from this bodhisattva would be won. Secondly, under the above-mentioned atmosphere, the Chinese family seriously wished to have a male descendent. In case a man's wife could not bear him a son, then this man would be condemned as an undutiful son of his family by his relatives. In this circumstance, this man should have to keep a concubine, hoping that his new woman would bring him a son. He may even divorce his legal wife and remarry. Therefore, the requirement for a male infant is a serious threat to a woman. Since the scriptures say that Kuan-yin would bless a non pregnant woman to carry a son after she recited the Guanyin Ching (觀音經 or Avalokitesvarasutra) day and night, people believed that the blessing would truly be conferred. Therefore, Chinese females did their recitation faithfully in order to pray for such a blessing. Thirdly, under the atmosphere mentioned above, every woman had many troubles in her mind. As Chinese females believe that Guanyin would give hand to them if needed, they used to pour out their frustrations in front of the image of this bodhisattva in order to seek blessing. According to the scriptures, Avalokitesvara is in fact a male bodhisattva. As the scriptures also say, when this bodhisattva intends to preach Buddhism to a certain woman, he transforms himself into a woman's form before appearing in front of this woman, in order to gain access to her in the first place. Following the description in the scriptures, Chinese females gave rise to an idea that it would be more helpful if Guanyin would have been a woman. For a female "Messiah" could be more understanding of a woman's troubles. Due to the social demand of Chinese females, gradually some fictions concerning Guanyin were composed. These fictions tell that before unfrocked, Guanyin was the third princess of a small Indian kingdom. Influenced by the publication of these fictions, the females were coaxed into believing that their "Messiah" is really a trusted worthy female bodhisattva. Since then, the "sex" of Guanyin has been confirmed in people's minds.

參考文獻


(1979)。新加坡:星洲世界書局。
西遊記
西遊記
西遊記
西遊記

被引用紀錄


王儷蓉(2004)。普門化紅顏──中國觀音變女神之探究〔碩士論文,國立臺灣大學〕。華藝線上圖書館。https://doi.org/10.6342%2fNTU.2004.00516
陳藝方(2011)。唐人小說裡的佛教寺院 --以俗眾的宗教生活為中心〔碩士論文,國立中央大學〕。華藝線上圖書館。https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail?DocID=U0031-1903201314410773
曾德青(2011)。魏晉南北朝觀音信仰之研究〔碩士論文,國立臺灣師範大學〕。華藝線上圖書館。https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail?DocID=U0021-1610201315250243
Wu, J. C. (2015). Women Trapped: Ann Hui's Narrative Strategy and Social Critique in Summer Snow, Goddess of Mercy, and The Postmodern Life of My Aunt [master's thesis, National Central University]. Airiti Library. https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail?DocID=U0031-0412201512044230

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