Imagining the Beginnings of the Cult of the Diamond Sutra

追探金剛經信仰普及化的起源

何秋輝(Chiew Hui Ho)

《禪與人類文明研究》 1期 (2016/12) Pp. 5-36

摘要

The Diamond Sutra (Sk. Vajracchedikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra; Ch. Jin'gang bore boluomi jing 金剛般若波羅蜜經) is an important Mahāyāna sutra, which remains to this day one of the most influential Buddhist sutras in East Asia. However, little is known about why it began to gain widespread popularity in the Tang even though it had been translated two centuries earlier. It is baffling to find little trace of religious activities related to the Diamond Sutra in the Six Dynasties period. Although there is evidence that monastics recited the Diamond Sutra as early as late fifth century, it had not gained a following among either the monastics or lay Buddhists during the Six Dynasties. Extant records, however, indicate that a substantial body of narratives relating to it appeared, circulated, and were compiled in the Tang, reflecting the extent to which it featured in the lives of people in that period. This paper aims to shed light on the beginnings of the cult of the Diamond Sutra in medieval China. By broadly contextualizing the sutra within its socio-historical milieu, it discusses the ways it was engaged by monastics, why it was given recognition by members of the Tang monarchy, and how the interest of literati might have popularized it. This paper argues that these developments, when conceived within a web of human interactions, impacted people's knowledge of the sutra and prompted increasing engagement with it, resulting in the cult of the Diamond Sutra.

關鍵字

Diamond Sutra ； Vajracchedikā ； Tang Buddhism ； medieval Chinese Buddhism ； lay Buddhism

並列摘要

《金剛經》是一部重要的大乘經典，至今仍然是東亞地區最具影響力的佛教經典之一。在中國，《金剛經》於五世紀初即有漢譯版本，並且有僧侶誦讀。然而，從六朝相關文獻來看，《金剛經》不論在寺院或民間都沒有太多活動記錄，可見還未被重視。到唐代，才陸續出現許多有關金剛經的敍事，並且被廣泛傳閱、編輯，反映了當時《金剛經》在人們生活中扮演的角色。由此可知，唐朝是《金剛經》真正普及的時代。本文主要探究金剛經信仰於中世紀中國普及化的起源，藉由《金剛經》在唐代的諸多運作事件中，從不同的層面瞭解金剛經信仰普及化的過程。例如，從一開始主要由寺院的僧侶對《金剛經》的誦讀與詮釋，而到後來受到唐代王室的重視，以及文人雅士對它的喜好。筆者認為從這些運作事件，可以看出人群交互運作中，如何讀誦與認識《金剛經》，進而信奉，並在唐代得到廣泛的信仰。

並列關鍵字

《金剛經》 ； 金剛經信仰 ； 唐代佛教 ； 中國中古佛教 ； 居士佛教