In Buddhism, monastic disciplinary texts embody the ideal of how followers should regulate their daily lives, and Buddhist monks and nuns are required to observe Buddhist precepts that were compiled nearly 2,500 years ago in India, a context dramatically different from contemporary monastic conditions. This study explores how Buddhist nuns in two widely divergent Chinese socio-cultural contexts experience the observance of Vinaya precepts that originated in India. The first section summarises female practitioners’ general perceptions of Buddhist precepts. Then certain monastic rules are selected for more in-depth discussion. By juxtaposing the perceptions of nuns from these two Chinese regions, I have identified similarities as well as differences between them, and among the various institutions involved. This research thus provides a detailed overview, based on a cross-regional empirical study, of nuns’ perceptions of whether there is a disjunction between ideal monastic life as regulated by Vinaya and the way nuns in Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhism actually live.
目次
Abstract 150 Introduction 151 2. General Viewpoint on Buddhist Precepts 157 2.1 Laity Should Not Read Vinaya 157 2.2 Understanding the Spirit (Jingshen 精神) and Background of Each Precept 159 2.3 Observance of Rules is Flexible, not Rigid 161 2.4 Vinaya Adapted by Local Communities 162 2.5 Application and Reinterpretation of Vinaya in Modern Times 164 2.6 Effects of Institutional Type on the Manner of Practising Rules 167 3. Nuns Having More Precepts than Monks Have 168 4. Not Being Alone 171 4.1 Not Being Alone 173 4.2 Not Going Alone - Mainland China 175 a. Strict Observance 176 b. Difficulties in Observance, or Non-Observance 176 4.3 Not Going Alone - Taiwan 179 a. Strict Observance in Nanlin Nunnery (Fieldwork observation and notes) 180 b. Flexible Observance 181 5. ‘Impractical’ Rules 183 5.1 The Use of a Chamber Pot 183 a. Possibility of Use 184 b. Daily Proper Etiquette 185 5.2 No Keeping of Food Overnight 186 6. Conclusion 190 Acknowledgement 192 Abbreviations 192 Bibliography 192
