何谓锡杖——图像与文献的对比研究

What Is a Buddhist Monk’s Staff——A Comparative Study of Images and Documents Relating to Buddhist Staffs

通过文献、图像资料及实际调查,可以看到中国僧人锡杖的样式与印度差距很大。以此为切入点,考证锡杖原始的样式及中国化之后,如何从实用具演变为僧人威仪,进而成为佛教仪式用具。另外,也尝试从词源上进行了考证。讨论这个问题的目的,意在厘清三宝之具在功能及样式上的变化,认识佛教戒律的中国化,进而理解为什么一些戒律在中国得到过分的强调和诠释。

The evidence in various documents,images and field investigations shows that there are several large differences between the staffs carried by Chinese monks and those used by Indian monks.With this observation as a starting point,this paper presents a study on the earliest style of staff and follows the evolution of the staff from being an everyday item,to becoming a symbol of a monk’s lifestyle,and finally a Buddhist ritual item.The author provides an additional textual research on the etymology of terms used to refer to staffs.The ultimate purpose of this article is threefold:to clarify the historical changes that monk’s staffs underwent in terms of both function and style,to understand the sinicization of Buddhist precepts,and to understand why some precepts were given greater emphasis and more extended interpretation in China.