According to tradition, when the Buddha's aunt and stepmother Mahāprajāpatī was allowed to join the Buddhist monastic community, she accepted eight 'fundamental rules' (gurudharmas) that made the nuns' order dependent upon the monks' order. This story has given rise to much debate, in the past as well as in the present, and this is no less the case in Mainland China, where nunneries have started to re-emerge in recent decades. This article first presents new insight into Mainland Chinese monastic practitioners' common perspectives and voices regarding the gurudharmas, which are rarely touched upon in scholarly work. Next, each of the rules is discussed in detail, allowing us to analyse various issues, until now understudied, regarding the applicability of the gurudharmas in Mainland Chinese contexts. This research thus provides a detailed overview of nuns' perceptions of how traditional vinaya rules and procedures can be applied in contemporary Mainland Chinese monastic communities based on a cross-regional empirical study.
目次
Abstract 241 Introduction 241 I. The gurudharmas: an overview of mainland Chinese nuns’ perceptions 246 a. The authenticity of the gurudharmas 246 b. The relationship between monks and nuns 247 c. Women’s karma and female characteristics 248 d. The impact of gurudharmas on nuns 250 e. Nuns’ remarks on Shih Chao-hwei 251 II. Nuns as practitioners of the gurudharmas 251 Fieldwork research on the eight gurudharma rules 252 Bowing to monks in appropriate circumstances 253 Socio-cultural contexts in China 255 Additional exceptions to the rule of bowing to monks 255 The first rule, beyond bowing, and the other rules 256 Conclusion 266 Acknowledgement 268 Abbreviations 269 Bibliography 269
