Adapting Vinaya Interpretation in Tibetan Buddhism to the Chinese Context
The advancement of adapting Tibet-an Buddhism to the Chinese context aims to direct Tibetan Buddhism into compliance with the evol-ving contemporary Chinese society and integrate it into the country's fine traditional culture.Buddhist precepts,which have been serving as the founda-tion of the Dharma and spiritual practice,reflec-ting a documented and dynamic adaptation of Bud-dhism to the Chinese context through processes of translation and localization.In fact,since its intro-duction to Xizang,Tibetan Buddhism has continu-ally explored ways and methods to align with re-gional cultures and customs while adhering to its Four Fundamental Precepts.This effort has resul-ted in the formation of a distinct disciplinary sys-tem with local characteristics.Drawing on the his-torical transmission of Buddhist precepts in Tibetan regions,this study analyzes the process of their ad-aptation to the local realities and the broader Chi-nese context.To illustrate,during the Tubo peri-od,the translation of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya exemplified this dual commitment to local adapta-tion and strict adherence to the South Asian tradi-tion.An example during the early transmission pe-riod would be the evolution of the single Khenpo system(to guide a monastic community)into the monk prime minister structure and monk supportive system,reflecting a localization of early Tubo Bud-dhism.Additionally,results also argue that the in-fluence of Zen monks from the Central Plains on Tubo had a profound impact on the practice of pre-cepts in Tibetan Buddhism,shaping the thoughts and practices of some branches during the later dissemination period.Furthermore,this article examines the later phases of Tibetan Buddhism's dissemination,re-vealing that the Vinaya traditions not only main-tained the Mūlasarvāstivāda lineage from the early period but—due to the influence of fragmented political regimes—also diversified into three dif-ferent Vinaya traditions—Upper Barawa,Lower Lakshina,and Middle Karchen Vinaya—each in-terrelated yet marked by conflicts over lineage rec-ognition and precept observance.Their contradic-tions were due to the lack of consensus in the Vi-naya lineage,resulting mutual accusations of im-proper conduct in the practice and transmission of precepts.During the Sakya period,the relative u-nification of religious and political power in Xizang prompted figures like Sakya Pandita to critique lax adherence to precepts within Tibetan Buddhism,leading to localized interpretations of Vinaya texts that emphasized the significance of precepts in practice.What is more,after Tsongkhapa estab-lished the Gelugpa tradition he stressed the impor-tance of"taking the precepts as a teacher"and"governing the monastic order by the Vinaya,"calling for monks to uphold pure conduct in behav-ior and to promote a localized interpretation of Vi-naya studies in both study and practice.Detailed monastic regulations were also formulated,leading to the formation of a unique Tibetan Buddhist dis-ciplinary system.The localized interpretation of Ti-betan Buddhist Vinaya not only provided theoreti-cal support for the further adaptation of Buddhism on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau to the Chinese con-text but also has had a great significance in forging of a strong sense of community for the Chinese na-tion.
adaptation of Buddhism to the Chinese contextTibetan BuddhismVinayalo-calization
万方数据
维普
