前期提示：唐時中國名僧輩出，且佛教信仰深入民間，在建築、雕刻、繪畫、音樂和譯經事業，也影響甚鉅。 |
中國也有不少僧人（如玄奘、義淨）不辭艱辛去印度遊學，中國佛教宗派，開始傳入朝鮮、日本、越南和河陵（印度尼西亞），加強了中國與亞洲其他國家的宗教、文化和商業的關係。但到了會昌五年（公元八四五年）由於社會、經濟等方面的原因，發生了大規模的禁佛事件，武宗下令，沒收寺院土地財產，毀壞佛寺、佛像，淘汰沙門，勒令僧尼還俗。據《唐會要》記載：當時拆毀的寺院四萬六千餘所，沒收寺產。強迫僧尼還俗二十六萬五百四十人，佛教受到極大打擊。
玄奘法師
玄奘法師（約公元六00年至六六四年），唐代僧人，俗姓陳名禕，洛川人（河南偃師），十九歲出家，二十歲在成都受具足戒。學《攝大乘論》，《成實論》，《雜阿毗曇心論》及《大涅槃經》等攝論，同地論之說各異，遂產生去印求法，學《瑜伽師地論》以會一切的念頭。
貞觀三年（公元六二九年）自長安神邑，終於王舍新城，長途跋涉五萬餘里，遍訪五印，歷程十幾個國家，在那蘭陀寺從戒贤法師學戒五年，被選為通曉三藏的十法師之一，最後為那蘭陀寺開講攝論，適逢中觀清辨一系大師，師子光也在那裡講《中論》、《百論》，反對法相唯識之論，於是玄奘法師著《會宗論》三千頌以調和大乘中觀瑜伽兩派的學說。同時參與正量部學者的辯論，又著《破惡見論》一千六百頌，還應迦摩結漢國國王的邀請講經說法，並著《三身論》。
接著與戒日王會，決定以玄奘法師為主，在曲女城召開了佛學辯論大會，有五印十八個國王，三千個大小乘佛學者和外邊二千人參加。當時玄奘法師講論任人問難，但無一人能於諾難。一時名震五印，並被大乘尊為「大乘天」，被小乘尊為「解脫天」。戒日王又堅請玄奘法師參加五年一度，為時七十五天的無遮大會。會後歸國，貞觀十九年正月二十五日玄奘返抵長安。
→待續
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From last Issue:
Many eminent monks lived in the Tang Dynasty. Buddhism was deeply absorbed into the popular culture. It also greatly influenced the fields of architecture, sculpture, painting, music, and the translation of Sutras.
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Despite the hardships of travel, many Chinese monks (such as Hsuan Tsang, Yi
Jing, and so on) went to India to study. Chinese Buddhism began spreading to
Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia, enhancing China's religious, cultural, and
trade relations with other Asian countries. However, in the fifth year of the
Huichang reign (A.D. 845), for social and economic reasons, Buddhism was banned
on a great scale. Emperor Wu issued orders to confiscate all monastic lands and
assets, destroy Buddhist temples and images, drive out the Shramanas (monks),
and force monks and nuns to return to laylife. According to the Record of
the Major Events of the Tang Dynasty, over 4,600 monasteries were destroyed
and their properties were confiscated; and 260,540 monks and nuns were forced to
return to laylife. It was a great setback for Buddhism.
Dharma Master Hsuan Tsang
Dharma Master Hsuan Tsang (A.D. 600-664) lived in the Tang Dynasty. He was
born to the Chen family of Luozhou (Yanshi of Henan Province), and was named
Wei. He left the home-life at nineteen and received the full precepts at twenty.
He studied The Mahayana-samparigraha Shastra, The Satyasiddhi Shastra, The
Miscellaneous Abhidharma Heart Shastra, The Mahaparinirvana Sutra, and so
on. Finding that The Mahayana-samparigraha Shastra did not agree with
The Yogacharyabhumi Shastra, he conceived the idea of going to India to
study The Yogacharyabhumi Shastra and to reconcile all differences.
In the third year of the Zhenguan reign (A.D. 629), Master Hsuan Tsang set
out from Shenyi of Changan. After travelling over fifty thousand miles, visiting
the five regions of India, and passing through a dozen countries, he came to
Nalanda Monastery and studied the precepts under Master Shilabhadra for five
years. He was selected as one of the ten Dharma Masters who had mastered the
Tripitaka (the Buddhist Canon). Later, he lectured on The Mahayana-samparigraha
Shastra at Nalanda Monastery. At that time, the follower of Bhavaviveka,
Master Lion Light of the Madhyamika School, was lecturing on The Madhyamika
Shastra and The Satashastra there, opposing the theories of
Dharma-lakshana and Consciousness-Only. Thus, Master Hsuan Tsang wrote The
Shastra of Gathering All Sects, of over three thousand verses, to reconcile
the differences between the two Mahayana sects, the Madhyamika and the
Yogacharya. He also debated with Sammatiya scholars, wrote The Shastra for
Smashing Evil Views in sixteen hundred verses and The Shastra of the
Three Bodies, and was invited by the king to explain the Dharma and the
Sutras.
Later he met King Shiladitya. It was decided that Master Hsuan Tsang would
host a great debate on Buddhism in Kanyakudja. The kings of the eighteen
kingdoms in the five regions of India, three thousand Buddhist scholars of the
Great and Small Vehicles, and two thousand non-Buddhists attended the debate.
When Master Hsuan Tsang was debating, anyone could ask questions, but none was
able to defeat him. He became instantly famous in the five regions of India. The
Great Vehicle honored him as the "God of Mahayana"; the Small Vehicle honored
him as the "God of Liberation." King Shiladitya insisted on inviting Master
Hsuan Tsang to attend the great public assembly, which was held once in every
five years and lasted for seventy-five days. After attending the assembly,
Master Hsuan Tsang returned to China, arriving in Changan on January 25 in the
nineteenth year of Zhenguan reign.
→To be continued
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