法均と燕京馬鞍山の菩薩戒壇 ─ 契丹(遼)における大乘菩薩戒の流行=Fajun and the Bodhisattva Precept Ordination Platform at Maanshan in Yanjing: The Spread of the Mahāyāna Bodhisattva Precepts in Khitan (Liao)
There is memorial stele recording the deeds of the eminent priest Fajun 法均 (1021-1075), who was active during the period of Khitan rule at the Jietaisi 戒臺寺, located in the foothills of the western suburbs of Beijing. The stele was re-erected in order to emphasize the long tradition of the temples on Maanshan 馬鞍山, which were revived in the mid-15th century, during the Ming dynasty. According to the inscription on the stele and related inscriptions, Fajun came to Maanshan in 1070, founded Huijusi 慧聚寺, and established a precept ordination platform from which to confer the Mahayana bodhisattva precepts on all varieties of people-men and women, lay and clerical. Thereafter, people, seeking the precepts, strove to reach the temple. In addition, Fajun visited important cities in Khitan ruled territory and conferred the bodhisattva precepts on throngs of people. Fervor to receive the bodhisattva precepts administered by him spread among the people throughout Khitan territory. After hearing such rumors, the emperor at the time, Yelu Nielin 耶律涅隣 (temple name: Daozong 道宗) summoned Fajun to his residence and underwent the ritual of becoming a disciple, as did his mother, the Dowager Empress, on the same occasion. He also bestowed on Fajun the title of Master of the Ordination Platform to Give the Bodhisattva Precepts 傳菩薩戒壇主 and granted him great favor and protection. After Fajun's death, pratimoksa 戒本, written by the emperor himself, was conferred on Fajun's successor. This was handed down over the generations, and Huijusi at Maanshan continued to receive substantial support from the state. Behind the flourishing of the ordination platform for the bodhisattva preceptsat Maanshan was the contemporary popularity of bodhisattva precepts themselves. Three emperors, Xingzong, Daozong, and Tianzuo, each received the bodhisattva precepts, and high-ranking priests from various parts of the nation were summoned to the imperial residence 捺鉢, a grand tent, whose location was moved as the seasons changed, which was the custom of the nomadic Khitan rulers. There precept platforms were established, where assemblies were held to confer the bodhisattva precepts on members of the royal family and bureaucratic officials who served the emperor. The bodhisattva precepts were not limited to these ruling groups but also spread widely throughout Khitan territory, from cities to villages. Its influence on society in general was great. Moreover, the memorial stele recording the deeds of Fajun and inscriptions carved on the shaft of a now-lost stone dharani pillar from the county of Xincheng 新城縣, recount that there were many pilgrims who stole across the borders from the neighboring states of Song and Western Xia, slipping into the country and aiming for Maanshan in order to receive the bodhisattva precepts from Fajun. This indicates that in reality there were exchanges and movements of people across borders under the conditions of stability in the international order that was brought about in the later half of the 11th century in the aftermath of the treaty of Chanyuan 澶淵之盟 (concluded in 1004) to an extent much more than previously imagined.
