The Wuyue Kingdom 吳越國 (893-978) falls in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-960) following the Tang (618-907). With the fall of the Tang, most of China had collapsed into a state of turmoil. Although Wuyue ranked among the smaller states of that period, it became one of the wealthiest owing to its prosperous economy and considerable peace lasting eighty-six years. As scholarship on Chinese Buddhism proceeds to the Song dynasty, scholars are discovering the importance of the Wuyue Kingdom in terms of the continuation of Buddhism into the Song. This paper examines the relationship between Buddhism and each of the four Wuyue kings: King Wusu Qian Liu 武肅王錢鏐, King Wenmu Qian Yuanguan 文穆王錢元瓘, King Zhongxian Qian Hongzuo 忠獻王錢弘佐, and King Zhongyi Qian Hongchu 忠懿王錢弘俶. The ways in which they supported Buddhism as well as their influence on the development of Buddhism will be examined.
The Wuyue kings built numerous Buddhist temples and dhāra?ī-sūtra stone pillars (jingchuang 經幢). By doing this they provided a supportive environment for Buddhist monks and nuns and propagated Buddhism among common people. Furthermore, the last king of Wuyue, Zhongyi, helped bring the Tiantai master Zhiyi’s works back from Korea. It was also because of King Zhongyi’s protection that the coastal area of southeastern China escaped the last Buddhist persecution.
Although all the Wuyue kings believed in Buddhism, the nature of each king’s relationship with Buddhism varied. In the early period of the kingdom, his construction of monasteries and support for Buddhist monks helped King Wusu acquire renown as a virtuous king. He believed that Buddhist rituals and the practice of dhāra?ī chanting for protection helped him consolidate the state. Buddhism also provided a religious means to release the king’s guilt over slaughter in battles. During the middle period of peace and prosperity, Buddhism offered a path for rulers such as King Wenmu to express their wishes for fortune, happiness and even liberation in the present and future. As the Wuyue kingdom came to a close, King Zhongyi expressed his wishes to protect the kingdom by erecting dhāra?ī-sūtra stone pillars. Thus Buddhism served both political and religious functions for each of the Wuyue kings.At the same time, the Wuyue kings also controlled the Sa?gha by implementing the Tang system of Sa?gha officials and by claiming the authority to appoint abbots and ordination supervisors. They also interfered with the monastic seniority system and the implementation of monastic “pure regulations.” King Zhongyi built Buddhist temples to be used as ancestral shrine for worshipping his parents and grandfather. As a result, the Sa?gha’s powers of autonomy and and self-regulation were weakened.
However, in balancing the overall effect of the Wuyue kings’ policies on Buddhism, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. The disadvantages could be excellent experience for the Sa?gha in subsequent periods in dealing with issues of balancing political support and autonomy. All in all, the Wuyue kings’ contributions of building Buddhist temples and support for the Sa?gha established a firm foundation for the development of Buddhism in the Song and thereafter.
