Buddhist Apocrypha And Medieval Chinese Folk Society

The middle ancient period of China was an important period for the formation of Chinese translation of Buddhist scriptures.With the unremitting efforts of many eminent monks in the western regions and local areas,a large number of Buddhist classics were translated into the mainland,and laid the basic pattern of Chinese Tibetan scriptures.However,with the development of the Chinese translation of scriptures,some doubtful scriptures fabricated by the Chinese people have also mixed into the ranks of classics.The doubting scriptures are not Buddhist scriptures in the true sense,but they have had a decisive impact on the history of medieval Buddhism,especially the history of Medieval Folk Buddhism.Since the Western Jin Dynasty,such local classics as doubting false scriptures have been severely attacked by eminent monks.They included the suspected scriptures in the Scriptures in order to exclude them from the list of Buddhist scriptures,so as to protect the purity of Buddhism.However,historical facts tell us that the doubted scriptures have not disappeared under the suppression of eminent monks of all dynasties.Especially in the vast civil society,such classics have been copied and spread by a large number of low-level folk Buddhists.Tracing back to the origin,the reason why the suspected and false scriptures can flourish in Chinese folk has a lot to do with the short and simple Scripture content,the utilitarian belief characteristics of the folk audience and the publicity of the relevant spiritual records.According to the inscriptions of the manuscript and engraving of the suspected apocryphal scriptures unearthed in Dunhuang,Turpan,Beijing Fangshan and other places,it can be seen that the acts of folk believers’ copying and engraving the suspected apocryphal scriptures in the middle ages were highly purposeful and utilitarian,either for the recovery of diseases,for the peace of the country and the people,or for praying for good luck.At the same time,the content of the scriptures of the suspected apocryphal scriptures also has a certain guiding role for the people to copy and publish the suspected apocryphal scriptures.For example,the times of copying and praying for the scriptures of saving the suffering of all sentient beings,the new Bodhisattva Sutra,and the book of persuading kindness published in Dunhuang are closely related to the content of the Scriptures.Due to the "native" characteristics of the doubted scriptures,the contents of the Scriptures have absorbed many elements of Chinese traditional beliefs.At the same time,with the widespread dissemination of the apocryphal scriptures in the civil society,such classics have also played a certain role in the formation and innovation of some folk belief systems.For example,the shaping and spreading of the popular beliefs in Medieval China,such as the seven Buddhas,the moonlight boy and the water moon Avalokitesvara,are closely related to the suspicion of the false scriptures.With the wide spread of the doubted scriptures,their influence also penetrated into some folk Buddhist groups in the middle ages.For example,the Maitreya uprising and the organization construction of folk communities in the middle ancient times are inextricably linked with the suspicion of false scriptures.At the same time,the dissemination and promotion of some apocryphal scriptures were closely connected with the folk religious organizations in the middle ages.For example,in the southern and Northern Dynasties,the popularity of hypocrisy with precepts was the result of the travel propaganda of folk wandering monks.In addition,suspecting the false scriptures also had a certain impact on the customs and sacrifices of the middle ancient people.For example,some common practices in our daily life,such as Yu Lan pan Gong,Shi Wang Zhai and Shou Sheng Zhai on the Zhongyuan Festival,are closely related to the emergence and popularity of the pseudo scriptures.Even folk foods with unique shapes,such as "dragon,tiger and snake cake",have left a shadow in the apocryphal scriptures.As a product of the fusion of foreign thoughts and local culture,the emergence of the suspected and false scriptures has narrowed the distance between ordinary people and Buddhism,marking that the sinicization and secularization of Buddhism has entered a new stage.As a propaganda tool of Buddhism,the Apocrypha Sutra introduces the profound Buddhist righteousness to the ordinary people through simple and popular expressions,and engraves these concepts and thoughts that integrate various theories into the religious and secular life of the Chinese people.In a word,doubting the false scriptures plays a vital role in the process of Buddhism moving towards the civil society,and it is a well deserved "classic of the common people".