Research On "Crazy Monks" In Sui And Tang Dynastie

Since the spread of Buddhism in China in the Han and Jin dynasties,a special group of monks called "mad monks" also arose.In the Sui and Tang dynasties,the number of "mad monks" increased greatly,and the records about "mad monks" were also numerous,which became a phenomenon that could not be ignored in Sui and Tang Buddhism.This paper takes the "mad monks" of this period as the object of study,aiming at enriching the image of Buddhist monks in the Sui and Tang dynasties and presenting more facets of Sui and Tang religion and society.On the other hand,most of these "mad monks",because of their special talents of supernatural or secular nature,had a sacred color.On the other hand,most of the "mad monks",because of their special supernatural or secular talents,have become sacred and are held as models by Buddhists and the world.The image of "mad monks" is both good and evil,and the records about "mad monks" are both false and real,which together constitute the basic appearance of the group of "mad monks" in the Sui and Tang dynasties.There are three main reasons for the emergence of a large number of "mad monks" in the Sui and Tang dynasties: firstly,they are influenced by the tradition of "mad monks" which has been continued since the Han and Wei dynasties;secondly,the proliferation of monks breaking the precepts,the interpretation and understanding of Buddhist scriptures and the rise of Zen Buddhism in this period,from Thirdly,the society at that time also contained the soil for the breeding of "crazy monks".The "mad monks" in the Sui and Tang dynasties had great differences at the individual level,and their images faced the influence of many factors in the process of shaping and changing.As a famous "mad monk" who had been fed by the imperial family for a long time and was closely connected with the political struggle between Gaozong and Rui Zong,Wan Hui transcended the text and became an object of social belief with various forms.In contrast to Wan Hui,the "Mad Monk of Hui Xiang Temple" is a fictional character whose identity and image are constantly redesigned according to the creative purposes and needs of different kinds of literature in the process of storytelling,and two different storytelling systems emerge as a result.In the Sui and Tang dynasties,both Buddhism and Taoism had monastic practitioners who were characterized by madness and confusion,and it is easy to find that the accounts of these "mad monks" and "mad Taoists" have a lot in common,both in terms of sources and narratives.This cannot exclude the existence of mutual reference.In addition to mutual borrowing,both followers elevate themselves and belittle each other in the texts through the implicit spring and autumn style,which reveals that Buddhism and Taoism were still in a state of fierce competition in this period.