Asian religious traditions have always been deeply concerned with "sins" and what to do about them. As the essays in this volume illustrate, what Buddhists in Tibet, India, China or Japan, what Jains, Daoists, Hindus or Sikhs considered to be a "sin" was neither one thing, nor exactly what the Abrahamic traditions meant by the term. "Sins" could be both undesireable behavior and unacceptable thoughts. In different contexts, at different times and places, a sin might be a ritual infraction or a violation of a rule of law; it could be a moral failing or a wrong belief. However defined, sins were considered so grave a hindrance to spiritual perfection, so profound a threat to the social order, that the search for their remedies through rituals of expiation, pilgrimage, confession, recitation of spells, or philosophical reflection, was one of the central quests of the religions studied here.
目次
Acknowledgements VII Introduction 1 PART ONE: SINNING IN ASIAN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS Social and Soteriological Aspects of Sin and Penance in Medieval Hindu Law 9 Sin and Expiation in Sikh Texts and Contexts: From the Nānak Panth to the Khālsā 31 "Living Without Sin": Reflections on the Pre-Buddhist World of Early China 57 Sin, Sinification, Sinology: On the Notion of Sin in Buddhism and Chinese Religions 73 "The Evil Person is the Primary Recipient of the Buddha's Compassion" The Akunin Shōki Theme in Shin Buddhism of Japan 93 The Sin of "Slandering the True Dharma" in Nichiren's Thought 113 Ritual Faults, Sins, and Legal Offences: A Discussion About Two Patterns of Justice in Contemporary India 153 PART TWO: DEALING WITH SIN After Sinning: Some Thoughts on Remorse, Responsibility, and the Remedies for Sin In Indian Religious Traditions 175 The Role of Confession in Chinese and Japanese Tiantai/Tendai Bodhisattva Ordinations 216 Removal of Sins in Esoteric Buddhist Rituals: A Study of the Dafangdeng Dhāraṇī Scripture 243 Redeeming Bugs, Birds, and Really Bad Sinners in Some Medieval Mahāyāna Sūtras and Dhāraṇīs 276 Sometimes Love Don't Feel Like It Should: Redemptive Violence in Tantric Buddhism 295 Sin and Flaws in Kerala Astrology 309 Sin and Expiation in Nepal: The Makar Melā Pilgrimage in Panautī 324 Sin and Expiation Among Modern Hindus: To Obey One's Duty or Following Freely Accepted Rules? 357 Index 381
