A Reinterpretation of the Tang Tiantai Buddhism Revival:New Evidence from the"Stele of the Abbey for Cultivating Dhyana"
In the late eighth century,Jingxi Zhanran(湛然,711-782)spearheaded a profound movement that reinstated the Tiantai school as a preeminent Buddhist sect.While his efforts for this revitalization have long captured scholarly attention,many details about the inner circle of his disciples still remain unclear,with the retaining of its historical information primarily dependent on the records of Japanese monks who traveled to China during that time and in subsequent centuries.This article focuses on the"Stele of the Abbey for Cultivating Dhyana"(修禅道场碑)by Liang Su(梁肃,752-793),which still stands on Mount Tiantai.It transcribes and examines the inscription on the stele's verso surface and its two sides to elucidate the fellowship network of Zhanran and his key followers and the affiliated monastic building at Folong(佛陇)of Mount Tiantai.This study contributes to a reassessment of the records preserved in Japanese sources,providing a fresh perspective on the development of the Tiantai school in the late Tang period and its influence on Japanese Tendai Buddhism.The article also contextualizes the"Stele of the Abbey for Cultivating Dhyana"within the early ninth-century political milieu,clarifying potential connections between the stele and the political changes at the time of its erection.
Tiantai BuddhismForlong(佛陇)Tiantai Buddhism Revival"Stele of the Abbey for Cultivating Dhyana"(修禅道场碑)
万方数据
维普
