In Buddhism birth is regarded as the origin of suffering and impurity, whereas it also forms the physical basis indispensible for seeking and attaining awakening. Birth is both the starting points of incuring defilement and achieving sanctity. Pointing out this paradox on birth in Buddhism and situating the issue within the context of Chinese religion and history, this dissertation extensively investigates Buddhist discourses and practices of reproduction in medieval China. It anwsers how Buddhist discourses and practices of childbirth were transmitted, transformed, and applied in medieval China, and how they interacted with indigenous healing resources and practices in both Chinese religious and medical realms. Through examining the primary sources such as the excavated Day Books (Chapter One), Buddhist hagiographies (Chapter Two), Buddhist obstetric and embryological discourses (Chapter Three and Four) and healing resources preserved in Tripiṭaka and Dunhuang manuscripts, Dunhuang transformation texts and tableaux, and miracle tales and anecdote literature (Chapter Three, Four and Five), I argue that not only was there a paradoxical dualism at the heart of Buddhism's relationship with reproduction, but also Buddhism provides abundant healing resources for dealing with childbirth on the practical level. Overall I contend that Buddhist healing resources for childbirth served as an effective channel through which Buddhist teaching, worldview and concepts of gender and body were conveyed to its supplicants. Through this investigation, this dissertation contributes to the understanding of the association of Buddhism with medicine, the influence of Buddhist discourses and practices of reproduction on China, and the transmission of Buddhist views of gender, the body, and life to China through its healing activities related to childbirth.
目次
List of Figures iv Acknowledgements vi Introduction 1 Buddhism and Childbirth: A Few Cases 1 Key Issues: Buddhist Healing, Indigenous Religions, and Gender 8 Some More Questions 12 Buddhism and Reproduction in China: Approaches and Sources 13 Dissertation Outline 16 Chpater One Time and Space, Divination and Taboos: Reproduction under Ancient Chinese Correlative Cosmology 21 Divination and Taboos: Daily Practices on Childbirth in the Day Books 25 Human Reproduction as a Representation of Cosmic Creation 45 Han literati's Writings on Childbirth: the Theory of Qi Transformation and the Reproductive Customs 50 Divination and Taboos in the Medical Works 57 Conclusion 60 Chapter Two Sacred Birth: Reproductive Scenes in Chinese Buddhist Hagiographies 62 Māyā's Pregnancy: Dohada and Magical Healing Power 68 Other Aspects of Māyā's Pregnancy: Dreams, Purity, and Auspicious Signs 73 Chinese Buddhist Representations of Māyā's Pregnancy and the Buddha's Birth 80 Chinese Buddhist Hagiography: Eminent Monks and Nuns’ Birth Scenes 94 Conclusion 109 Appendix: Reproductive Scenes of Māyā and the Buddha in Dunhuang 114 Chpater Three The Origin of Suffering: Buddhist Obstetrics, Birth Duḥkha, and Filial Piety 122 From Indian Medicine to "Buddhist Medicine" 129 "Buddhist Obstetrics" 135 Birth Duḥkha: "Buddhist Embryology" 144 Birth Duḥkha and Filial Piety in Medieval China 150 Conclusion 178 Chapter Four Dealing with Childbirth in Medieval Chinese Buddhism: Canonical Sources 180 Treating Infertility and Seeking Conception 183 Pregnancy Care 186 Difficult Birth 189 Postnatal Care for Mothers and Newborns 200 Miscarriage and Abortion 208 Conclusion 223 Chapter Five Dealing with Childbirth in Medieval Chinese Buddhism: Historical and Archeological Sources 226 Treating Childbirth with Incantations, Talismans and Seals 235 Protective Goddesses for Childbirth: Avalokiteśvara, Hārītī, and Bāla-grahā 255 Praying for Birth: Liturgy, Sūtra-Copying and Others 277 Treating Childbirth with Dharmic Medicine and by Monks: Cases from Hagiographies, Miracle Tales and Literati's Notes 292 Epilogue 304 Reproduction in Religion and Medicine 304 Reproduction in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and Religious Medicine 312 Rethinking Female Reproductive Pollution in Chinese Buddhism 314 Bibliography 316
