一月万川:塔铭文本的多样性

One Moon in Myriad Rivers:Diversity of the Pagoda Inscriptions

作为研究高僧生平行履第一手资料的塔铭,向来受到佛教研究者的重视。然而,塔铭的制作是一个复杂的过程,从行状到塔铭写本,然后上石,最终形成拓本,在这一过程中产生了塔铭写本、原石与拓本的不同。同时,唐宋时期,高僧圆寂后,会在其一生有重要意义的寺院分别建塔,“数处建塔”这一现象,也催生了一人多塔,一人多铭的现象。塔铭的创作者多为文人或高僧,塔铭在收入其别集或语录时,所据的底本情况复杂,有的是最初的写定稿,有的是原石文本,而有的则是依据拓本收录,这样又形成塔铭别集、总集文本与拓本、原石的不同。一人多铭,一铭多本的现象,增加了使用塔铭作为史料的难度。理解不同塔铭文本之间的差异,无论对于理解塔铭这种文体的复杂性,还是正确使用这一重要史料,都有重要的意义。

As the first-hand materials to researching the life of the eminent monks,the pagoda inscriptions have been always accentuated by the Buddhist researchers.However,the making of pagoda inscription is a very complex process,from the Xingzhuang to the transcript of pagoda inscription,and then carving on the stone,and finally rubbing.So,there will be many differences between the transcripts of pagoda inscription,the texts of stone and the rubbings.At the same time,a few pagodas were built in monasteries that the eminent monk hosted in the Tang and Song dynasties after they died.The phenomenon of“building pagoda in several places”also gave birth to the phenomenon of one monk having more than one pagoda and one monk having more than one inscription.The authors of pagoda inscriptions were mostly the literati or eminent monks.When these pagoda inscriptions were collected in their collections or quotations,there would be differences between the transcripts of pagoda inscription,the rubbings and the texts of collected works and complete works.The phenomenon that one monk had more than one inscription,and one inscription had more than one text,increases the difficulty of using the pagoda inscriptions as historical materials.Understanding the differences between different pagoda inscriptions is of great significance for both understanding the complexity of this style of writing and the exactly use of the important historical materials.