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古代印度弥勒信仰研究

The Study on the Belief of Maitreya in Ancient India  

【作者】王雪梅

【导师】李利安

【作者基本信息】西北大学，世界史，2010年，博士

【摘要】 作为一种内涵丰富、体系完整、历史悠久、流传广泛的宗教文化体系,弥勒信仰以其鲜明的理论个性和独特的信仰实践,不但在印度古代佛教发展史上,而且在整个世界佛教发展史乃至整个人类宗教历史上,都具有极为重要的地位。它不仅是印度佛教最早形成的宗教信仰样式之一,也是贯穿整个印度佛教发展历史,特别是在促动大乘佛教形成和发展以及与小乘佛教的互动中,始终保持着深远影响的宗教文化体系。在印度佛教的成长及其向东方传播的过程中,这种信仰体系充当重要的“媒介”作用,与此同时也在中国以及整个东亚世界赢得普遍的推崇与流行,获得广阔的发展前景,从而在固有的宗教文化底蕴之外,也积淀了极其丰富的人类文明交往尤其是中印文明交往以及宗教与民族、宗教与社会、宗教与文化各个领域关系等方面的丰富内涵。所以,弥勒信仰不但是宗教学的重要研究对象,也是一个历史学、哲学、文学、民俗学等其他很多学科的均应介入的研究领域。但是,对于这个兴起时间早、流播范围广、关涉问题多、历史地位高、社会影响深的宗教文化现象,整个学术界已有的研究却依然处于十分薄弱的地步。迄今为止,尚未出现全面系统地清理弥勒信仰在印度发展演变及其向外传播历史的著述,已有的研究也只是就弥勒信仰的某一方面或某一个具体问题展开,显得零散而割裂,不能先后呼应,彼此对照,整体而深入的考察也就无从谈及,这不仅无助于全面而深刻地认识弥勒信仰的历史进程与基本理论体系,而且难以准确把握和理解弥勒信仰在中国的继承性发展和变异性发展。有鉴于此,本文选取古代印度弥勒信仰为研究对象,希望藉着保存至今的大量印度古代佛教文献及近现代以来陆续发表的考古资料,以古代印度佛教发展的历史进程为线索,尝试从纵向发展与横向比较、经典诠释与民间传说、理论演变与实践发展等各个不同方面,多角度多层面地来研讨弥勒信仰在印度产生、发展、演变的轨迹,从而揭示古代印度弥勒信仰的基本内涵、基本进程、基本特性及其所包含的一些重要问题。本文主要采用历史学与宗教学的研究方法,在吸取前贤研究成果的基础上,充分利用现有各种与弥勒相关的历史记载,以史实考订和理论分析相结合的原则展开论述。本文认为：1.未来佛弥勒信仰是真实弥勒神话的进化物。释迦期许(“授记”)弥勒未来成佛,这成为未来佛弥勒观念出现的起点,也是弥勒信仰所有形态形成的基石。2.释迦灭度百余年左右,以《增一阿含经》卷四十四《十不善品》之弥勒经的出现为标志,未来佛观念转变为未来佛崇拜。3.印度古代弥勒信仰中仅有弥勒净土观念的萌芽,成体系的弥勒净土信仰是印度佛教向中亚、中国传播过程中不断流变的产物。4.古代印度弥勒信仰成熟形态即弥勒下生信仰,以弥勒佛为主尊,皈依的对象与教法都指向弥勒。5.弥勒上生经的出现,将上生信仰与下生信仰结合,标志着古代印度弥勒信仰形态的完善。6.弥勒信仰与密教的结合,使弥勒信仰密教化,并出现全新的密教弥勒修持体系。7.古代印度弥勒信仰在民间的流布,呈现出依于经典又异于经典的情况,显示了弥勒作为佛教最高智慧、佛法象征的崇高地位,其信仰方式则包括：往来兜率面见弥勒、生身待见弥勒、命终往生兜率、来生龙华三会、弥勒化身信仰等。8.古代印度弥勒信仰与佛教其他思想与信仰的互动,是弥勒信仰发展演变的重要源泉。般若思想为弥勒信仰的发展成熟提供思想基础；禅观修持的影响促成具有弥勒信仰特色的“慈心三昧”；瑜伽行派确立了弥勒无上祖师的神圣地位；法灭思想的流行与“终末论”无关,刺激了印度弥勒信仰的发展；弥勒信仰与转轮王信仰的结合,体现为转轮圣王-未来佛信仰的二元结构模式向未来佛信仰单一结构模式的转化。9.古代印度弥勒信仰的宗教思想结构包括未来指向、现实思考以及身后关怀等三大维度,最终以现实的、人间的、此岸的维度为核心内容；弥勒信仰具有人间性、崇高性、善权性、慈心性、流行性、渗透性、多维性、超越性、融通性等特征。10.古代印度弥勒信仰的产生、演变和不断完善的历史进程既是佛教内部不同派系、不同理论问题、不同信仰倾向、以及不同修行实践之间相互激荡、逻辑演进的结果,也是佛教文化在扩张性传播过程中与社会历史发展相互呼应的必然结局。弥勒信仰所包含的理论问题和实践问题,具有精神性、文化性、社会性等不同的层次的特性,体现了人类应对世界现实、解决当下苦难、追求未来幸福的不懈努力。  

【Abstract】 The belief of Maitreya has played a significant role in the development of Buddhism both in ancient India and the world. As one of the earliest forms of Indian Buddhism, the belief of Maitreya has run through the history of Indian Buddhism, promoting the formation of and its interaction with the Mahayana Buddhism. Functioning as a medium in the eastward propagation of Buddhism, the belief of Maitreya itself has won a broad development prospect in China and east Asia. However, it is still a neglected field and remains little explored. Up to now, no research available provides a detailed and clear tracing of development and transformation of the belief of Maitreya in ancient India. And the present studies on the Chinese belief of Maitreya are also incomplete and discontinuous, which hinders the successive as well as transformational development of the belief of Maitreya in China.Therefore, this paper takes the belief of Maitreya as an objective for a multi-sided and multi-perspective study. Taking the actual situation of India into consideration, based on the historical and archaeological resources, scriptures and folk legends, this research attempts to reveal the characteristics of the Indian belief of Maitreya and trace its development as well as transformation in history.The conclusions obtained are as follows:1. The belief of Maitreya can not be equated with the belief of the pure land of Maitreya, for the latter is the result of the propagation and transformation of Indian belief of Maitreya in central Asia and China.2. The Maitreya of the Future was evolved from the mythologies of Maitreya. The concept that regards Maitreya as the future Buddha came into being at the times of Sakyamuni when he gave the prediction that Maitreya would become Buddha in the future, which also is the foothold for all forms of the belief of Maitreya.3. One hundred years or so after the nirvana of Sakyamuni, the belief of Maitreya of the Future was established, symbolized by the volume 44 of Ekottarikagama in which the scripture of Maitreya marks the appearance of the earlier form of Indian belief of Maitreya. Indeed, the earlier form of Indian belief of Maitreya, the Buddha of Future, followed the Dharma preaching of Sakyamuni times, which seemingly worshipped the Maitreya, actually still adored the Sakyamuni Buddha.4. The maturity of the ancient Indian belief of Maitreya is marked by the belief of Maitreya's descent upon the temporal world, regarding Maitreya as the present Buddha, Sakyamuni the past, and taking the preaching methods and the objective of adoration typical of Maitreya.5. The completion of the Indian belief of Maitreya is marked by the combination of both the descending and ascending stories of Maitreya.6. The integration of Tantra and the Indian belief of Maitreya is shown by some typical characteristics in scriptures, images and self-cultivation, mainly by the simplified methods of self-cultivation.7. The Indian folk belief of Maitreya is in conformity with, as well as different from the scriptures. The belief of Maitreya, such as meeting Maitreya in Tushita Heaven, being alive for Maitreya, going to be born in Tushita, attending three Buddhist assemblies given by Maitreya in the after life, the belief of Maitreya's incarnation, the efficacy of prayer to Maitreya statue, elevates the Maitreya to a holy and high position of a representative of wisdom and Dharma, from which legends of efficacious transformation bodies of Maitreya derived, but acting only as the supplemental, subsidiary and secondary to the belief of Maitreya.8. The interaction with other thoughts of Buddhism has enriched and perfected the Indian belief of Maitreya. Prajna provides it with the ideological basis. The Characteristic feature of its self-cultivation, the three flavors of the Mind of kindness, is formed under the influence of Dhyana-contemplation. Yogachara school endowed Maitreya with the position of a greater thinker, which plays an important role in the propagation and development of the belief of Maitreya. Although the ancient Indian belief of Maitreya was affected by the thought of the Dharma extinction, it is irrelevant to "an evil world" and "end to void", etc. The combination of the belief of Maitreya with Chakravartin is presented in scriptures by a change from the dualistic structure mode, the belief of Chakravartin-Maitreya of the Future, to the single structure mode, the belief of Maitreya of the Future which basically hides the role of Chakravartin as a universal monarch.9. All in all, the structure of the ancient Indian belief of Maitreya is of three dimensions, futuristic, realistic and after-life attentive, with the religious pursuits in this mortal world as the core content.10. The historical process of ancient Indian Maitreya belief's emergence, evolution and continuous improvement not only was the result of interaction and logical evolution among various factions, different theories, different religious orientations as well as different practice within Buddhism, but also the inevitable outcome of echoing between the social historical process with the Buddhism culture in the process of its expansionary transmission. The theoretical and practical issues included in the Maitreya belief have had the spiritual, cultural, and social characteristics in different levels, and reflected the human's tireless efforts on coping with the world reality, resolving the present suffering and pursing the future happiness.

【关键词】 古代印度; 弥勒; 弥勒信仰; 佛教

【Key words】 ancient India; Maitreya; the belief of Maitreya; Buddhism

【网络出版投稿人】西北大学 【网络出版投稿时间】2010-07-28 【网络出版年期】2010/09

【DOI】CNKI:CDMD:1.2010.115897 【分类号】B948 【下载频次】7 攻读期成果