Chinese Buddhism; Medieval China; Gender; Bao Shan; Poetry by Nuns
摘要
This article introduces two poems inscribed on a memorial niche dedicated to the seventh century Buddhist nun Benxing at a site known as Bao shan located near Anyang in Henan Province. I suggest that the poems were written either by Benxing herself or by one of the nuns who contributed to the memorial, and thus significantly augment the corpus of extant poems ascribable to Tang Buddhist nuns. I introduce the poems in the context of the style of soteriology and ritual practice associated with Bao shan and explore further intersections between devotional and poetic practice in the Tang. In the second half of the article I explore notions of subjectivity, "literature of the beyond," and the gendered voice. In conclusion, I suggest that although the Benxing poems deploy literary conventions of various kinds they stand out in the context of the Bao shan nuns' communal devotional practices. They give us a glimpse into the concerns and aspirations of a practitioner within a gendered Buddhist community, providing a singular grounding for conventional images of what it meant to be Buddhist, a poet, and a woman in the Tang.
目次
Introduction 40 An introduction to the Bao shan site 43 Inscriptions for four nuns 44 1 Lanfeng shan no. 47. Dhyāna Master Sengshun 僧順禪師 (555–639), dedicated in 640. 45 Guangtiansi gu dabiqiuni Sengshun chanshi sanshenta 光天寺故大比丘尼僧順禪師 散身塔 (Reliquary for the Former Great Nun, Dhyāna Master Sengshun of Guangtian Temple) 45 2 Lanfeng shan 45. Dharma Master Puxiang 普相法師 (566–643), dedicated in 644. 46 Guangtiansi dabiqiuni Puxiang fashi huishenta 光天寺大比丘尼普相法師灰身塔 (Reliquary for the Great Nun, Dharma Master Puxiang of Guangtian Temple) 46 3 Lanfeng shan 42. Dhyāna Master Jinggan 靜感禪師 (561–646), dedicated in 646. 47 Shengdaosi gu dabiqiuni Jinggan chanshi huishenta 聖道寺故大比丘尼靜感禪師灰身塔 (Reliquary for the Former Great Nun, Dhyāna Master Jinggan of Shengdao Temple) 47 4 Lanfeng shan no. 72. The nun Benxing, dedicated in 676. 49 Shengdaosi gu biqiuni Benxing huishenta 聖道寺故比丘尼本行灰身塔 (Reliquary for the late nun Benxing of Shengdao temple) 49 Buddhist subjectivities 54 Poets and/as nuns 58 Conclusion 64 Notes on Contributor 65
