末法与灭法:房山石经的信仰背景与历史变迁

The Degenerate Age of Dharma and the Persecution of Buddhism:Changing Backgrouds and Beliefs of Fangshan Shijing

房山石经的刊刻与佛教末法思想密切相关,已是学界公论,但房山石经事业的信仰根基,又不仅限于末法思想。静琬是在承认隋末唐初已入"末法"的前提下开窟刻经,但其主要目的并非为防备世间帝王未来的"灭法"运动,而是要留存经本给"末法万年"结束以后的人们。从其后继弟子开始,"末法"意识对房山石经刊刻所起的作用逐渐下降。历代参与刻经的各阶层人士,主要是为求得个人功德果报,离静琬刻经初衷越来越远。房山石经并非忠实贯彻静琬刻经理念的结果,而是由不同时代、信仰参差的各界僧俗,按照不同信仰需求,自发构成一个信仰实践共同体来完成的。

It is a common academic opinion that the inscription of the Fangshan Shijing is closely related to the Degenerate Age of Dharma,but there is more to the story.When the monk Jing Wan carved the scriptures,he recognized the fact that the Sui Dynasty and early Tang Dynasty had entered the Degenerate Age of Dharma,but his main purpose was not to prevent future movements of secular emperors to persecute Buddhism,instead he hoped the scriptures would be preserved for people to read after the end of the Degenerate Age of Dharma,which would last ten thousand years.Starting from his successors,the connection between the Degenerate Age of Dharma and the Fangshan Shijing gradually declined.The successive generations of people who participated in the carving of the scriptures were mainly seeking personal merit and reward,getting farther and farther away from Jing Wan’s original purpose.Instead of the implementation of Jing Wan’s concept,Fangshan Shijing became a place for people of different ages and faiths,who spontaneously formed a community and used the stone sutras to practice their faith.