三階教團傳承考察 ──以僧邕為主──

Abstract

活躍於隋唐二代間的三階教，為中國自有自成教團。三階教團傳承考察，學界大多數將教團創始者信行作為重要研究對象，針對其生平、教義等作詳細探討，但在信行過世之後的教團內變化，與弟子間的考察僅作做整體性的研究。據上述本文選定三階教僧邕為主軸，他為信行之後的第二位繼承者，也是帶領三階教度過內外混亂時局的重要人物。 綜觀三階教團發展史，開皇九年信行受隋文帝詔令與僧邕一同入京後，於十四年正月初四日過世，實際上入京創立三階教的時間最多不過五年，隨後由僧邕承繼職掌三階教之位。隨著創教者信行過世，僧邕接班初期即面臨了重大挑戰，對內發生弟子間的分裂，對外隋文帝在開皇二十年第一次下達禁止三階教流傳。 在混亂的局勢中，具有安定力量的僧邕則顯得格外重要，不但帶領安穩令教團過渡分裂危機，也平安化解第一次禁令的禁傳風波。僧邕個人還在唐貞觀五年（631）年間，受到唐太宗死後追福贈帛等殊榮。顯示三階教未受到隋朝的諸多打擊而消沈，反而有更加壯大趨勢。以僧邕為主軸討論三階教團在初期發展，可以更多元的了解三階教的發展歷史，也可掘發出教團內弟子間的連結關係。 此外飽受淨土宗批評的三階教，可在僧邕及其弟子德美修行歷程中找到關於淨土宗的說法。再對比僧邕的師長僧稠及信行，與德美對於淨土的思想與修持來看，似乎也不如淨土宗所說，三階教教義反對修持淨土法門。

The SanJie Buddhist Order, which was active during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, was a self-established religious order in China. About the study of the inheritance of the SanJie Buddhist Order, most scholars have taken the founder of the Order, Xinxing, as an important subject of study, and have made a detailed study about his life and teachings, but the changes within the Order after Xinxing's death and the investigation of his disciples are only for holistic research. Therefore, Sengyong who was the second successor after Xingsing in the SanJie Buddhist Order is selected as the main axis of this paper. He was an important figure in leading the SanJie Buddhist Order through the internal and external chaos. From the perspective of the historical development of the SanJie Buddhist Order, in the ninth year of KaiHuang, Xinxing was ordered by Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty to enter Beijing. He went with Sengyong and passed away on the fourth day of the first month of the fourteenth year. In fact, XinXing entered Beijing and found the SanJie Buddhist Order for only five years at most, and then SengYong took over as the leader of the Order after his death. In the early days of succession, Sengyong faced major challenges including a split among his disciples internally and the first ban on the spread of the SanJie Buddhist Order issued by Emperor Wen of Sui in the 20th year of KaiHuang. In the chaotic situation, Sengyong, with a great capacity for stabilizing the Order, was particularly important. He not only led the Order to overcome the crisis of split, but also safely resolved the first ban on the spread of their teachings. In the fifth year of the Tang Dynasty (631), he was honored by Emperor Taizong after his death. It shows that SanJie Buddhist Order has not been declined by the blows of the Sui Government. On the contrary, there was a growing trend. With the focus on Sengyong, the discussion of the early development of the SanJie Buddhist Order will be able to provide diversified understandings of it’s historical development and explore the connection among the disciples in the Order. Moreover, the teaching about Pure Land Buddhism has been found in the practice of Sengyoung and his disciple, Demei, though the SanJie Buddhist Order is often criticized by Pure Land Buddhism. In comparison with the thoughts and practices of Sengyong's teachers, Sengyhou and Xinxing, and Demei, it seems that the doctrine of the SanJie Buddhist Order is not as opposed to the practice of the Pure Land Buddhism as stated by Pure Land Buddhism.