Buddhism sees its glorious time during T'ang China. It attracts attention of a great number of women to be pious disciples. Despite the fact that the Buddhist nuns are requested to break off relations with the secular world, we find those of T'ang Dynasty are still treated as members of their natal families; Some of them even choose to remain home, and help to manage the ordinary affairs. The secularization of Buddhism during this period is also strongly indicated in the Buddhist nuns' burial rituals. Many of them choose to be buried in the way of non-Buddhists. Not a few even prefer to being buried in their families' tomb groups. These kinds of facts convey us the information of the degree of the interaction between the two main traditions of Buddhism and Confucianism. This thesis, as the title indicates, tries to reveal the complexity of the context in which Buddhist nuns maintain close relations with their families, as well as their secular activities that are quite beyond the religious practice.
