Ryōō Dōkaku 了翁道覚(1630-1707), Ascetic, Philanthropist, Bibliophile, and Entrepreneur

Ryōō Dōkaku's 了翁道覚 (1630-1707) autobiography breaks stereotypes of Buddhism during his period in several important ways. At a time when the government was attempting to strengthen its control over Buddhism by enforcing sectarian rules, Ryōō contributed substantial funds and Buddhist canons to three schools: Zen 禅, Tendai 天台, and Shingon 真言. In doing so, he was striving to revive a more robust form of Buddhism that he saw in the Ōbaku 黄檗 Zen tradition that was being introduced from China. Other aspects of his autobiography combine contrasting stereotypes as he engaged in severe austerities and yet was an entrepreneur and philanthropist. He established libraries, particularly one at the major Tendai monastery, Kan'eiji 寛永寺 that were open to both laity and monastics and held books from a variety of Chinese and Japanese philosophical, religious, historical, and literary traditions, foreshadowing the creation of public libraries.

關鍵字

Ryōō Dōkaku 了翁道覚； Ōbaku 黄檗； Kan'eiji 寛永寺； Tenkai-ban 天海版； Buddhist medicine ； Buddhist austerities ； Buddhist libraries ； Buddhist sectarianism

並列摘要

從許多方面來看，了翁道覚(1630-1707)的自傳打破了對當時日本佛教的刻板印象。正值政權試圖透過實施宗派法規來掌控佛教時際，了翁道覚資助了禪宗、天台宗和真言宗可觀的資金與佛教藏經。他這麼做是為了力求復興更加健全的佛教，效法於當時他所見到來自漢地的黄檗禪傳統。在他的自傳中描述了看似強烈的對比刻板印象行為，他兼具嚴酷的苦行且又是一位企業家和慈善家。此外，他創建了許多圖書館，特別是在天台宗的主要據點寛永寺，在那裡收藏了許多漢傳和日本傳統的哲理、宗教、歷史和文學類書籍，可說是公共圖書館的前身。