徘徊于信教与限教之间:唐代名相姚崇对佛教的复杂心态

Hovering Between Religious Beliefs and Religious Restrictions:Complicated Psychology Towards Buddhism of Yao Chong Who was the Great Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty

姚崇对佛教的态度是很复杂的,纵观其一生,始终徘徊在信教与限教之间。作为忠臣,他曾积极参与官僚集团为武则天举行的造像祈福活动;作为孝子,他曾参加其母主持的开窟造像活动;作为政治家,他将限制佛教当作治国之策,当内心的信仰世界与外在的现实政治需要发生冲突时,他毫不犹豫地做出了有利于国家的抉择;作为家长,在临终遗嘱中,他一方面指责佛道写经、造像、施舍等靡财害事之举,告诫子孙后代不许拘泥于流俗,延请僧道,做无益之枉事、徇追福之虚谈,另一方面又强调"佛在心中,但能平等慈悲,行善弃恶,则佛道备矣"。这些无不体现出他对佛教的复杂心态,因此,我们不应该简单地称道他的反佛之举,给他贴上"唯物论者"的标签,而应客观理性地分析和评价他的具体言行。

Yao Chong＇s attitudes towards Buddhism were very complex. Throughout his life, he had been always hovering between religious beliefs and restrictions religious. As a loyal minister, he had been actively in- volved in statues of prayer activities for Wu Zetian which was organized by the bureaucracy. As a filial son, he participated in statue cave activities, which were hosted by his mother. As a politician, he regarded restrictions on Buddhism as a national policy. When there were conflicts between the inner beliefs and the external political needs,he made decisions in favor of the country without hesitation. As a parent, on the one hand he accused Buddha sutra, statues, and charity etc. To warn his children did not adhere to vulgar posterity, inviting monks, do the useless thing, to chase happiness empty talk in his will. On the other hand, he stressed that ＂Buddha in the heart, as long as mercy for the bosom, do charity and abandon evil, we will reach the realm of the Bud- dha＂. The above behaviors reflected his complex attitudes towards Buddhism. Therefore, we should not evalu- ate his anti-Buddhist to post ＂materialist＂ label simply. We should analyse and evaluate of his specific words and deeds in an objective and sensible way.