According to monastic disciplinary texts, Buddhist monastic members are prohibited from accepting “gold and silver,” and arguably, by extension, any type of money. This rule has given rise to much debate, in the past as well as in the present, particularly between Mahāyāna and Theravāda Buddhist communities. The article explores the results of my multiple-case qualitative study of eleven monastic institutions in Taiwan and Mainland China, and reveals a hitherto under-theorized conflict between Vinaya rules and the bodhisattva ideal, as well as a diversity of opinions on the applicability of the rule against money handling as it has been shaped by socio-cultural contexts, including nuns’ adaptation to the laity’s ethos.
目次
Abstract 9 Introduction 10 Fieldwork in Taiwan 17 Nanlin nunnery: strict abstinence from touching money 18 Dharma Drum Mountain, Luminary Nunnery and Foguangshan: flexibility in the rule 22 Analysis of the Fieldwork Data 28 The socio-cultural contexts of Chinese Buddhism 28 The social system and the assistance of kalpikāra 31 The ratio of the laity to the general population 33 Popular knowledge of Buddhist practices 34 The red envelope (cash offering) as a Chinese cultural custom 36 Institutional types and saṅgha system 38 The practice of giving in the bodhisattva ideal 43 Shame resulting from disobedience to the rule 47 Conclusion 48 Abbreviations 51 Bibliography 51
