唐宋时期佛教流播与祈雨活动的盛行

Dissemination of Buddhism and Prevalence of Praying for Rainfall During the Tang-Song Period

祈雨活动,古已有之,为当时重要的社会生活内容。唐宋一代,随着佛教向社会各阶层的广泛流播,朝野上下,祈雨活动亦异常活跃,且多与佛教人事有关。从文献记载看,当时大量祈雨活动,佛教高僧积极参与,尤其是中唐之际,随着密宗的形成,大量请雨、止雨经典及仪轨也相继译出,并成为密宗的重要的成就法之一,这使得祈雨活动从理论及实践上更加完善,直接影响着佛教文化向民间的渗透,对当时的政治、经济及社会生活等均产生了深远的影响。

Praying for rainfall was an ancient event,which was a very important part of social life.During Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty,along with wide spread of Buddhism into the various strata,both government officials and the people were active in praying for rainfall,and most of them were associated with Buddhists and Buddhism.Judged from relevant recorded literature,there was plenty of action of praying for rainfall,and eminent monks were actively involved in it.Especially in the middle of Tang Dynasty,with the formation of secret religions,a great number of classics concerned with praying for rainfall and for rainstop were translated one after another and became important codes of secret religions.As a result,the action of praying for rainfall became more desirable both in theory and practice,directly affecting the infiltration of Buddhist culture into the folk and exerting far-reaching influence on politics,economy and social life of that period.