從為己到為他：郎餘令《冥報拾遺》中窺見唐初《金剛般若經》的信仰面貌=From “for Oneself” to “for Others”: Viewing Belief in the Diamond Sutra from Lang Yuling’s Mingbao Shiyi in the Early Period of the Tang Dynasty
Lang Yuling’s 郎餘令 (?-693) Mingbao shiyi 冥報拾遺 (Gleanings of the Unseen Retributions; addenda to Mingbao ji 冥報記) is a sequel to Tang Lin’s 唐臨 (600-659) Mingbao ji 冥報記 (Records of Miraculous Retribution). Generally speaking, the content between the two works is similar; however, after reading the texts more closely, the sutras that these works mainly depend on differ. Mingbao ji is based on the the Lotus Sutra, whereas Mingbao shiyi is predominantly based on the Diamond Sutra. This change reflects the gain in popularity of the Diamond Sutra in the early period of the Tang dynasty at the cost of the Guanshiyin Sutra’s (the Lotus Sutra, ch. 25, “The Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara”) waning popularity during the Six dynasties. Moreover, a corresponding shift can be seen in the miracles that occurred dependent on which sutra one believed in. In Mingbao shiyi, more instances of sutra copying are evident, and the contents of related miracles, which occurred due to the copying or chanting of the sutra, are not merely for the self of the individual who believes in the sutra but also for others. In addition, Lang Yuling held a lower official position than Tang Lin, and thus, what he understood was more common or popular in comparison to Tang Lin. This change in the contents of recorded miracles is likely synchronous with the increasing popularity of Buddhism and the rise of Chinese Buddhist apocryphal sutras during the 7th and 8th centuries.
