清代嘉義縣大仙巖歷代住持僧考

Study on the Historical Abbots of Daxian Yan, Jiayi County, during the Qing Dynasty

清代嘉義縣所轄之白河大仙巖，自康熙58年（1719）年間擇參徹禪師（?-1790）開山以來，已歷三百年，根據戰後所立之「大仙寺歷代祖師蓮座」，至1990年代共列十位方丈祖師。然而，從大仙寺現存之清代祖師牌位與墓碑顯示，顯然情況並非如此。
其中清代部分住持牌位書有「住持」字樣，卻未被列入至「大仙寺歷代祖師蓮座」中。一些清代墓碑上寫有傳承「代別」，但是與祖師蓮座的「方丈別」未能吻合，重新考證「大仙寺歷代祖師蓮座」的住持順序或傳承有其必要。
本文旨在透過大仙寺現存之清代祖師牌位與墓碑，考證及考訂清代大仙寺三百年之歷代與歷任住持之活動時間，與出任方丈之可能任別、代別。

The Daxian Yan (Great Immortal Rock) in Baihe, historically under the jurisdiction of Jiayi County during the Qing Dynasty, has a history spanning over three centuries since its founding by Chan Master Zhecanche (擇參徹禪師, ?-1790) around the 58th year of the Kangxi reign (1719). According to the‘Lotus Seat of the Successive Patriarchs of Daxian Temple’(大仙寺歷代祖師蓮座), erected after World War II, ten abbots were listed up to the 1990s. However, extant Qing Dynasty spirit tablets and tombstones of the temple’s patriarchs at Daxian Temple suggest that the situation is evidently not so.
Specifically, some Qing Dynasty abbot spirit tablets are inscribed with the term‘abbot’(住持), yet these figures were not included in the‘Lotus Seat of the Successive Patriarchs of Daxian Temple.’Furthermore, the lineage‘generational designation’(代別) inscribed on certain Qing Dynasty tombstones does not correspond with the‘abbot designation’(方丈別) recorded on the‘Lotus Seat.’Therefore, a necessary re-examination and verification of the succession order or lineage of the abbots listed in the‘Lotus Seat of the Successive Patriarchs of Daxian Temple’is required.
This paper aims to utilize the extant Qing Dynasty spirit tablets and tombstones of Daxian Temple’s patriarchs to verify and determine the active periods of the successive abbots over the three centuries of the temple’s history, along with their probable terms of office and generational designations upon assuming the position of abbot.