元末明初名僧来复事迹考

The study on Monk Lai Fu

释见心来复(1 31 9—1 391年)是元末明初临济宗名僧。他俗姓王,幼年出家,参谒径山寺南楚悦禅师,得临济宗旨,通儒术,善为诗文,元末先后住持定水院、天宁寺、灵隐寺,明初两至南京说法,后担任左觉义,是当时佛教领袖,受到明太祖及诸王尊信,终因被牵连进胡惟庸谋反案而被杀。但长期以来,史籍中于释来复的记载多讹误附会,如说他为元朝名将后代,曾仕元为官,因赋诗含讥讽而堕入明太祖文字狱被杀等,以讹传讹,甚至误说影响远远超过史实。研究释来复,考辨其生平,有助于推进明史及中国佛教史的研究。

Venerable Jianxin Lai Fu （1319-1391） was an eminent monk of Lingji /Rinzai） in the 14th century. As a Buddhist leader, he was honored by Emperor Ming Taizu, but was executed due to his involvement in the conspiracy of Hu Weiyong, who was a powerful prime minister.For a long time, there have been many errors in the records of Monk Lai Fu. For instance, some records say that he was killed by Emperor Ming Taizu because he wrote poems to ridicule the emperor. The emperor was notorious for his literary inquisition.Thus, these errors have come down and are even more impressive than historical records. The study on Monk Lai Fu, particularly his life and work, would enhance our study of the Ming history and the history of Chinese Buddhism.