The present article starts by evoking various forms of pilgrimage in major world religions and the religious needs that could be fulfilled through pilgrimage, including purification of the soul, communion with the divine and worship of sacred lands. Under this general context, the article delves into pilgrimage in Chinese Buddhism regarding its spread into China, and its rise and historical development. Faxian, as the first India-bound Chinese Buddhist who wrote a travelogue, exerted clear influences on later pilgrims as an exemplary pilgrim. In particular, we should pay attention to Faxian’s intention of pilgrimage, which bears on the search of canonical Vinaya texts rather than the fulfilment of abstract religious needs such as salvation. After Faxian, numerous pilgrims have undertaken pilgrimages to the Western Regions, including Xuanzang, Yijing and monks recorded in Da Tang Xiyu qiufa gaoseng zhuan 大唐西域求法高僧傳 by Yijing 義淨 and Nittō guhō junrei kōki 入唐求法巡禮行記 by the Japanese monk Ennin 圓仁. Regardless of the historical reality, we could at least observe, on the textual level, that qiufa (the search of Dharma) represents the main objective for Chinese pilgrims. This characteristic sets Chinese Buddhist pilgrimage apart from other religions and even from Tibetan Buddhism, for which qiufa is never a common goal. Does this imply that qiufa was the mainstream form of pilgrimage in Chinese Buddhism and in other Buddhist traditions in East Asia influenced by Chinese Buddhism (e.g. Korean and Japanese Buddhism)? Could there be a difference between an elite and a non-elite form of pilgrimage? The present article will investigate the influence of the qiufa tradition that was inspired by Faxian’s travelogue; and through this discussion, reveal some traits about Chinese Buddhism in general.
目次
I. Pilgrimage: What is it for? 46 I.1 Faxian and His Legacies 47 I. 2 A Wider Context: Dharma-Seeker Monks during the Jin and Tang Dynasty 53 I. 3 A Larger Context: Dharma-Seeker Monks in Tang 56 I. 3.1 The Forgotten Qiufa Monks 57 I. 3.2 Pilgrimage is Optional 60 II. External Points of Reference: Pilgrimage in Tibet and Mongolia 64 II.1 Causes behind the Separation of Two Pilgrimages: Social Class, Pilgrimage Distance and Finance 66 II.2 Causes Underlying the Differences: Factor of Social Class, Geographical Distance and Wealth Transfer in Pilgrimage 68 Conclusion: How Faithful is the Written History to History Itself? 70
