“以佛释耶”:十八世纪入藏耶稣会士德西德利的四本藏文手稿述评

Understanding Missionary Activities of the Early Western Missionaries in Tibet through Four Tibetan Manuscripts Written by Jesuit Desideri

1716年至1721年,耶稣会士德西德利在西藏传教期间,共撰写了四本藏文手稿,它们分别为《黎明破晓:旭日东升的预示》《白人喇嘛依波利托向西藏学者请教关于前世和空性的观念》《众生及诸教之来源》以及《基督教法精髓》。由于这些藏文手稿表现出了较高的藏文写作水准及丰富的佛学知识储备,二十世纪中叶以来,德西德利引发了西方相关学者极大的兴趣,视其为“西方藏学研究第一人”者有之,将其捧为基督教和佛教间“宗际对话开启者”的声音更是普遍存在。基于对德西德利藏文手稿内容的初步概览,结合德西德利《西藏旅行报告》中的相关内容,文章对西方学者给予德西德利及其藏文手稿的历史评价进行了批判性述评,认为德西德利撰写的藏文手稿、手稿中使用的大量佛教术语、概念以及引用的诸多佛教典籍,均系德西德利以佛释耶的传教策略,实不可将之归入藏学这一科学研究领域,更不可将之视为宗际对话的范畴。

From 1716 to 1721,during his missionary activities in Tibet,Jesuit Desideri wrote four Tibetan manu⁃scripts that aimed to refute Buddhism and promote Christianity.Due largely to the fact that these manuscripts show a very high level of Tibetan writing and a wide range of Buddhist knowledge,since the mid-20th century,Desideri has aroused great interest among Western researchers.Some regard Desideri as"the first Western Tibet⁃ologist",while others consider him the"opener of inter-religious dialogue"between Christianity and Buddhism.Based on the preliminary analysis of the contents of the four Tibetan manuscripts of Desideri,thisarticle makes a critical assessment of this phenomenon,pointing out that the reputation Desiderigained from the Western schol⁃ars is biased due largely to their western individualism.The Tibetan manuscripts written by Desideri,the Bud⁃dhist terms and concepts used in the manuscripts,as well as the Buddhist scriptures cited in the manuscripts are all nothing but Desideli's missionary strategy,a strategy that aims to break through the Buddhist fortress with the Buddhist cloak.In its essence,the manuscripts are the method through which Desideri attempted to displace Buddhism with Christianity,and should not be included in the field of Tibetan studies,nor should it be regarded as the category of inter-religious dialogue.