高僧與俗文學 - 作為劇評家、戲中人與「曲作者」的雲棲袾宏=The Eminent Monk and Popular Literature: Master Zhuhong as a Drama Critic, a Protagonist in Vernacular Narratives, and a Lyricist
As one of the eminent Buddhist monks in the late Ming, Master Yunqi Zhuhong has had a great impact on Chinese Buddhism of later generations. Existing scholarship on Zhuhong has largely focused on his joint practice of Pure Land and Chan, his monastic reform, and his interactions with lay disciples. However, the questions of how Zhuhong wrote about popular literature and how vernacular genres portray the image of Zhuhong have not yet received much scholarly attention. This article investigates Zhuhong’s relationship with popular literature in three aspects: how he commented on theatrical performance, how vernacular hagiographies represent his life, and how a set of lyric songs attributed to Zhuhong has inspired later imitations. First, Zhuhong adopted theatrical metaphors to interpret Buddhist doctrines. He also praised plays that advocate correct Buddhist teachings, while attacking those about romance and warfare. Second, many popular literary works from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, including dramas, fictions, a tanci ballad, and a precious scroll, feature Zhuhong as the male protagonist. In contrast to Zhuhong’s biographies written by Hanshan Deqing (1546-1623) and other disciples, these vernacular narratives highlight Zhuhong’s mental activities as well as the role of his wife Madame Tang / Nun Zhujin. These works illustrate the popular imagination of an eminent monk and his wife practicing Buddhism in parallel settings. Third, a set of lyric songs titled “Qibigou” (Crossing out with seven strokes of the pen) was attributed to Zhuhong, which elaborates the impermanence of secular commitments such as filial piety, conjugal love and official rank. These songs became widespread in the Qing dynasty. Many literati wrote songs in imitation of both the form and the motif of “Qibigou.” While the songs attributed to Zhuhong express his determination to renounce the secular world, later imitations largely pursue this-worldly happiness and peace. By illuminating Zhuhong’s roles as a drama critic, a protagonist in vernacular narratives and the possible author of a set of popular songs, this case study offers new perspectives to examine the multiple dimensions of the interplay between Buddhism and literature in late imperial China.
