六朝=Six Dynasties; 戒殺=refraining from killing; 居士=lay Buddhists; 仁道=benevolence; 護生=protecting lives; 儒佛交涉=interaction between Buddhism and the mundane teachings
The Six Dynasties were constantly plagued by assassinations and wars—a chaotic period of history. Naturally, scholars were sensitive to the matters of life and death. The “five precepts” became popular among Buddhists. Among the five precepts, the “precept forbidding killing” was widely discussed among intelligentsia. From the Eastern Jin to the Qi and Liang times, numerous discourses and writings were produced. These writings abound with philosophical, religious, political, and social perceptions of the time. Notwithstanding its broad and abstract character, the topic of “refraining from killing” demonstrates the fundamental meaning of the precepts as well. In order to examine the development and contexts of this precept from the Six Dynasties, this paper begins with a discussion of the “precept forbidding killing” in Original Buddhism. Writings reflective of the discourse at the time represent the opinions of contemporary scholars and monks, indicating the differences among doctrines, meanwhile illustrating the variance among coeval scholars and monks. Their positions express practical intent and display the various degrees of belief and social acceptance. This paper reveals the interaction between Buddhism and non-Buddhist teachings as follows. First of all, the “mundane teachings” accept the concept of “forbidding killing”—killing results in retribution. Secondly, the concept of compassion, underlying refusal to kill, expands the concept of “benevolence” in the mundane teachings. Thirdly, “ultimate compassion” is the crucial goal in both Buddhism and the mundane teachings. From a passive “precept forbidding killing” and developing into an active exercise with the goal of becoming a Bodhisattva, “ultimate compassion” is a creative practice, which is one of the results of the “two divisions: the provisional and the perfect” of the Six Dynasties.
