明代老年女性的佛教信仰与生活空间——以墓志铭为中心

Buddhist Belief and Living Space of Old Women in Ming Dynasty——With Epitaph as the Center

老年女性是明代佛教信徒的重要组成部分,除去女性、老年人对佛教的天然亲近性外,她们信仰佛教多是由于自身的境遇,比如晚年守寡或者命运悲凉等。家不仅是她们的生活空间,也是她们持斋念佛的修行场所。通过外出朝圣、布施等佛事活动,女信徒也扩大了自己的活动空间。借由佛教信仰,女信徒不仅和家庭成员之间形成了新的人际关系,也在家外扩展了自己的人际交往。墓志铭对老年女信徒临终场景的描写也凸显了家庭之中儒家思想与佛教之间的张力和融合。老年女性在成为母亲或者婆婆后,在宗教信仰上拥多更多的自主权,可以更全面地展现女性的佛教信仰生活。

Old women was an important part of the Ming Dynasty Buddhist believers,apart from the natural closeness of women and the elderly to Buddhism,most of them believed in Buddhism out of their own circumstances,such as widowhood in their old age or miserable fate.Family was not only their living space,but also their Buddhist ashram.At the same time,besides outside Buddhist activities,female followers also expanded their activities in space.By the faith of Buddhism,female believers has formed a new relationship not only with the family members but also out of their home.The descriptions of the dying scene of the elderly female believers in the epitaph also highlighted the tension between Confucianism and Buddhism in the family.After being a mother or mother-in-law,elderly women have more autonomy in their religious beliefs,which can more fully display the Buddhist life of women.