钱谦益奉佛之前后因缘及其意义

QIAN Qian-yi (1582—1664) and Buddhism

钱钟书指斥钱谦益以明朝旧臣投靠清廷,借奉佛以“隐愧丧节”,论定牧斋昌言佞佛,非真奉佛,不过借佛门中人事以“浇块垒”、“自明衷曲”而已。此说并不周全,钱谦益生长于佛教气氛极浓厚之家庭,自其祖辈起,大都崇奉三宝,故钱谦益自童时即习知奉佛,亦常理中事。另外,其常熟宗族中与钱谦益至亲之顾氏、瞿氏及严氏,皆礼佛虔敬之甚。因此可知钱谦益入清前即奉佛,他并非借奉佛而隐瞒投清之隐情。钱谦益对时政之评论,往往于偈佛护法之文字中发微,其要义有三:人主之奉佛与否,与国运之盛衰密不可分;士大夫之谋人军师国邑者,应效佛门僧徒谋浮屠塔庙之诚;为重臣者,宜以明初文臣宋濂之以佛法事太祖为典范。

Drawing on the works of QIAN Qianyi and those of his associates, as well as temple record of his home district, I refute QIAN Zhongshu＇s too facile assertion that QIAN Qianyi became a devout Buddhist only during the last two decades of his life, and that his conversion was intended primarily to make amends for his having shamelessly surrendered to the Manchu dynasty. I will prove that, to the contrary, QIAN Qianyi＇s devotion to Buddhism was live long. First, he was introduced to Buddhism by his grand-mother and grand-uncle at a tender age. Further, most of his literati associates, both in his home district and the greater lower Yangtze, were devout Buddhists. As well, QIAN Qianyi once identified himself with an early Ming scholar of Buddhism and Confucianism, Song Lien, who made significant contributions to the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Indeed, QIAN Qianyi had, at one point of official career, aspired to be a high ranking minister during the reign of Emperor Zhongzhen so that he may use that position to propagate Buddhism. In conclusion, I suggest that any study of the relationships between literati and Buddhism in the late Ming and early Qing must take into consideration of the individual＇s family and lineage backgrounds, his network of associates, and his secular and ecclesiastic aspirations. In short, historical contexts remain essential.