《梵網經》菩薩道之修道次第研究──以靈源法師之《梵網經菩薩戒》為核心

Abstract

1965年靈源法師曾經在大覺禪寺出版《梵網經》的白話註釋，筆者近年修學天台與華嚴教觀之後，發覺此書即是敘述菩薩道之修道次第。本研究收集當代六種白話註解《梵網經》，欲比較其詮釋差異，卻發現三類完全不同面向的敘述，這三種分別是：人間倫理、解脫戒律、菩薩道次第；接著尋求《梵網經》相關學術研究時，發現只有菩薩戒的文獻，而菩薩修道次第的研究，則尚付之闕如。因為《梵網經》同時提出「菩薩戒」與「菩薩道」之次第，故此研究方向定為：《梵網經》菩薩道之修道次第研究──以靈源法師之《梵網經菩薩戒》為核心。 根據筆者新校對靈源法師所著之《梵網經菩薩戒》，與《梵網經》之註疏深入比對後，發現法師是網羅諸家大師而集義，其所參考之《梵網經》註疏，包含：天台宗、華嚴宗、唯識宗、禪宗、律宗、淨土宗等諸宗大師之註解。研究結果顯示，靈源法師融會諸宗思想後，其修道次第觀並無矛盾，反而能將初發心持菩薩戒者，銜接上菩薩道的修行次第，而其法門有漸次，也有圓頓法義，故此《梵網經》很有可能，成為漢傳佛教修道次第的典範。 本研究除了指出菩薩戒的重點之外，更顯示出菩薩戒與修道次第的直接關聯，而且靈源法師所著之《梵網經菩薩戒》，在菩薩修道次第中，能包含人間倫理、與解脫戒律。擴大來看，由於經典的起源與南傳佛教的菩薩道「波羅蜜」有關，故如果依循漢傳佛教圓頓教的法義，則南傳、北傳佛教，或許從中可獲得融通，進而形成佛教利他的「普世倫理」，以及為現代多元宗教對立的處境，提供一種和諧對話的準則。

In 1965, Venerable Ling-yuan published a contemporary annotation on the Brahmajāla Sūtra at the Da-Jyue Chan Monastery. After studying the theories and teachings of Tiandai and Huayan schools recently, the author realize that this exegesis actually explains the cultivation procedures of the bodhisattva path . In this study, six contemporary commentaries on the Brahmajāla Sūtra were collected for comparing the differences among them. Nonetheless, three different perspectives of introduction were found: the humanistic ethics, precepts/śīla towards liberation, and the cultivation procedures of the bodhisattva path. A subsequent effort was applied to review the relevant literature contiguously yet only works on bodhisattva precepts ( in the Brahmajāla Sūtra ) found, nothing related to the cultivation procedures of the bodhisattva path. As《The Brahmajāla Sūtra》proposes simultaneously ”the bodhisattva precepts” and ”the bodhisattva path, the orientation of this study is positioned on the cultivation procedurs of the bodhisattva path in the Brahmajāla Sūtra -- centered around the Venerable’s annotations on the bodhisattva precepts. The newly collated《Brahmajāla Bodhisattva śīla Sūtra》by Venerable Ling-yuan enables the author to realize that the Venerable actually assembled those commentaries mentioned above in his work, which includes Tiandai, Huayen, Consciousness-only (Yogācāra), Chan, Vinaya, and Pure-land schools, etc. Drawing from the result of this study, the Venerable integrated all ideologies, without contradiction, to develop his view for the procedures of cultivation on one hand and to enable affinity between the aspirated practitioners/beginners with the orderly procedure of the bodhisattva path on the other. Besides, his method discloses the procedural gradualness, and his discourse covers sudden and perfect teachings. Therefore, this Brahmajāla Sūtra could most likely be a paradigm in Chinese Buddhism for the cultivation procedures on the Buddha path. This study points out the key points of the bodhisattva precepts and additionally reveals the direct liaison between the bodhisattva precepts and the procedures of cultivating the bodhisattva path. Furthermore, the Venerable’s book on bodhisattva precepts (bodhisattva śīla ) of the《Brahmajāla Sūtra》covers the humanistic ethics, the precepts/śīla towards liberation in procedures of cultivating the bodhisattva path. From an extensive viewpoint , as the provenance of the sutras is related to “Pāramī”, the bodhisattva path in the Theravada Buddhism, whence following the sudden and perfect teachings in Chinese Buddhism, the syncretism between the Theravada and the Chinese Buddhism on the bodhisattva path could be achieved to form a Buddhist altruistic “universal ethics” and be able to provide a set of harmonious dialogue principles under the circumstance of oppositions among the contemporary diverse religions.