위진·남북조 전환기와 남북조시대 『유마경』의 지역적 전파

초록

This paper explores the regional dissemination and ideological localization of the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa Sūtra (維摩經) within Chinese Buddhism during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. Despite the sutra’s significant role in this historical era, previous scholarship has predominantly concentrated on its philosophical dimensions or the intellectual contributions of individual monks, leaving the regional pathways of dissemination and the patterns of ideological adaptation relatively unexplored. Focusing on the monastic networks established by Kumārajīva and his disciples, this study investigates the specific routes through which the Vimalakīrti Sūtra was transmitted to various regions and examines the distinct local modes of reception and interpretation. Drawing systematically on primary historical sources, notably the Biographies of Eminent Monks (Gaoseng Zhuan 高僧傳) and the Collected Records Concerning the Tripiṭaka (Chu Sanzang Jiji 出三藏記集), this research tracks the movements and teaching activities of key monks. The findings reveal that scholarly monks originating from northern China significantly influenced Buddhist doctrinal developments through their exegetical and teaching activities in the southern capital, Jiankang (建康). These interactions facilitated a reciprocal and complementary relationship between the northern, theory-oriented Buddhist traditions and the southern, practice oriented Buddhist cultures. The monastic networks, thus established, functioned as crucial conduits for integrating theoretical discourse from the north with practical religious culture in the south, stimulating interpretative plurality, regional synthesis, and localized adaptations of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra. Consequently, this paper argues that the dissemination of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra was not merely textual transmission; rather, it was intricately interwoven with local Buddhist thought and religious praxis. By illuminating these dynamics, this study deepens scholarly understanding of ideological integration and regional adaptation processes within Chinese Buddhism during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and it clarifies the concrete mechanisms of doctrinal exchange fostered through the Vimalakīrti Sūtra. The study also considers, in a limited “prehistory,” the transitional phase (Later Qin / Eastern Jin, incl. Kumārajīva’s 406 translation) as contextual groundwork for the Southern and Northern Dynasties analysis.

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