《佛頂尊勝陀羅尼經》與唐代尊勝經幢的建立──經幢研究之一

Dharani Sutra and the Growth of Dharani Pillars in T'ang China

本文禹作者研究經幢的首篇論文。經幢是唐代才出現的一種佛教石刻，其上所刻者大多為《佛頂尊勝陀羅尼經》，本文主要從有關此一佛經的總總──包括其內容、翻譯和此經東來的傳奇，探討此經流行的原因，以及它如何影響經幢的建立。再次，則從其時的政治和社會，乃至於宗教界的層面，討論此經流傳的因素，而發現此經固然有吸引人之處，但其之所以能夠傳遍唐帝國的城市與鄉村，實有賴唐代宗於大曆十一年令：「天下僧尼每日須誦尊勝陀羅尼咒二十一遍」敕令的推廣。又，此令的頒佈係當時佛教界──特別是密宗的幾位大師推動的結果。綜之，此經的傳遍天下，乃是由於其時宗教、政治、社會諸因素盤結交錯的結果；而經幢則是此經的廣為流佈的一個具體明證。

This paper represents the preliminary results of an on-going research project about the history and significance of Buddhist dharani pillars (ching-ch'uang 經幢), a type of Buddhist sculpture highly popular during the T'ang dynasty. This paper treats the sutra carved on such pillars, entitled the Fa-ting tsun-sheng t'o-lo-ni ching 佛頂尊勝陀羅尼經, describing this sutra's transmission into China, the factors behind its spread, and its influence on dharani pillars. Particular attention is devoted to the ways in which political, social and religious factors all played a role in the spread of this sutra. The evidence indicates that while this sutra exerted a powerful appeal on Buddhist believers, a key factor behind its spread throughout the urban and rural landscape of T'ang China involved an imperial decree issued by the T'ang emperor Tai-tsung (r. 762-779) in 766, ordering all members of the sangha to recite the Fa-ting tsun-sheng t'o-lo-ni ching a total of 21 times per day. At the same time, the fact that such a decree was issued in the first place may be traced to the efforts of leading Tantric Buddhist masters at the T'ang court at that time. This indicates how the complex interaction between religious, political, and social factors could influence the spread of such an important sutra throughout T'ang China.