明代婦女信佛的社會禁制與自主空間（上）

Social Restriction and Independence of Female Buddhism Believers in Ming Dynasty

明初太祖鑑於僧俗混雜，造成社會綱常失序及帶給婦女人身安全的威脅，而擬定諸多細密的相關禁制條令，卻也因為他法定化瑜伽教僧尼（指廣泛施行瑜伽教儀軌的出家男女眾，出家女眾，則本文稱之為「瑜伽教女尼」）應付世俗經懺的專業性，並准予雲遊僧行乞四方和納銀取牒，遂使謹遵其後的有明一朝，雖欲嚴明僧俗男女分際，卻越見乏力而終未能遏止其混雜往來的事實。統治者或道德人士不斷透過婦女矇蔽於僧尼的邪淫，遭受淫僧姦害，不僅玷汙名節，甚而為其所姦殺之案例，勸阻婦人不得入寺、不得與僧尼往來。事實的發展，並沒有因此制止婦人信佛的這些行為，況且社會有意醜化僧尼邪淫、傷風敗俗的說辭，也被僧人湛然圓澄予以駁斥。加上明中葉以後商業社會道德價值觀的多元及物質環境的提升，反而成為婦人入寺燒香、外出行走遊憩的重要社會資源。婦女何以信佛？信奉價值如何？與其所處的社會階層、知識程度、個人遭遇和人格特質不無相關。入寺燒香、與僧尼往來，本是信佛的自然行為，給予禁足原非合情合理。然在男女大防觀念底下，足不出戶，是女性本該謹守的分際，故信佛的婦女，不管上下階層，多少勢必受此禮教的影響而調整其奉佛的態度。縱使是外出朝山、入寺燒香並與僧尼往來，而備受統治階層或社會輿論批判的一般奉佛婦女，仍深具男女之防，並非儘是士人所指責的，逾越大禮的淫亂之婦。她們雖不顧社會禁忌，外出燒香趕廟會，但大部分的女性之所以與女尼交往，卻又是為了嚴防社會禁忌中對於僧俗男女混同的詬病。可見婦女在觸及社會禁忌的同時，還能進走於信仰活動之中而不完全為社會所排拒，靠的就是這麼一點的自我約束！婦女借助女尼以滿足宗教及心理上的需求，女尼則成為婦女直接觸犯社會規範的一道保護層。她們多數相信出家為尼，乃宿具慧根、善性，值得信賴與尊敬，較無社會所賦予女尼形象的負面色彩。女尼雖不為士大夫或統治階層所喜，但她們的社會角色、功能卻廣受婦女的認同，尤其在瑜伽教流行而社會廣泛需求經懺的明代社會，自然增進婦女與瑜伽教女尼接觸往來的頻繁和合理性。

Considering the social disorders and the safety of female believers, Ming Tai-Zu laid down a precise law to rule the Buddhist society. However, Tai-Zu also legitimatized the Jing-Chan activity of the monks and nuns of Yu-Jia Jiao, allowed the Du-Die acts of strolling monks and nuns, these complicated the social control of the religion. Some female believers were raped or murdered by monks in some of these religious activities, the governments and some moral leaders noticed but failed to inhibit the progress of these social disorders and misfortunes. Negative and somewhat overstated public opinions about the Buddhism society and activities were debated by the monk, Zhan-Ran-Yuan-Cheng. The changes in moral concepts and the social structure after the mid Ming further accelerated the religious activities of female believers. The article discusses the underlying reasons of these female religious activities and their senses of value of these behaviors. In spite of the general concepts to restrict social activities of women, these social activities were popular in the ancient conservative society. The text mentions also the roles of nuns in the female religious activities; they naturally became the most popular and easy religious interface among female believers.