Souniryo - Monk and nun order

This is the seventh volume of the ancient Japanese Yoro Code, with a total of 27 articles. The Taiho Code is presumed to have been roughly the same. It is a legal code for controlling the monks and nuns of Buddhist religious organizations. The Tang Code, which was the parent law of the Japanese Code, did not have a Code for Monks and Nuns, but had the Daoist Code for controlling Taoist priests and female Taoists, as well as Buddhist monks and nuns. The Japanese Code for Monks and Nuns was created by removing the elements of the Tang Code for Taoist control and making it the first volume of the Code. It stipulates acts of treason against the state, such as falsely preaching about disasters, criticizing the state, and beguiling the peasants, as well as violations of the precepts, such as murder, theft, and falsely claiming to have attained the holy path, as well as crimes specific to monks and nuns, such as divination, minor practices, and shamanism, and the measures to be taken for these crimes (four levels of punishment: punishment by forced return to secular life, forced return to secular life, hard work, and ban on dispersal). In this respect, although it is called a ryo, it is similar in nature to the ritsu. It also stipulates the autonomous control of the sangha by the sogo (monks' council), and the control of folk Buddhism. The annotated books "Ryo no Gige" and "Ryo Shuge" remain.

[Eiichi Ishigami]

"The State and Buddhism in Ancient Japan" by Mitsusada Inoue (1973, Iwanami Shoten) " "Ritsuryo" edited by Mitsusada Inoue et al. (1976, Iwanami Shoten)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本古代の養老(ようろう)令の篇目(へんもく)で、第7篇、全27条。大宝(たいほう)令もほぼ同内容と推定される。仏教教団の僧尼統制の法典。日本令の母法である唐令には僧尼令はなく、道教の道士・道士女および仏教の僧尼の統制のための道僧格(きゃく)があった。日本僧尼令は、唐道僧格から道教統制の要素を除いた部分を令の一篇目としたもの。仮(いつわ)って災祥を説き国家を論難し百姓(ひゃくせい)を妖惑(ようわく)するといった国家への反逆行為、殺人かん盗、聖道を得たと詐称することなど戒律への破戒行為をはじめとして、吉凶卜相(きっきょうぼくそう)、小道(しょうどう)、巫術(ふじゅつ)などの僧尼の固有の犯罪とそれへの措置（強制還俗(げんぞく)による科罪、強制還俗、苦使、散禁の4段階の罰）を規定する。この点は、令と称しながら律に類似する性格である。また、僧綱(そうごう)による僧伽(そうぎゃ)の自治的統制、民間仏教の統制を定める。注釈として『令義解(りょうのぎげ)』『令集解』が残る。

［石上英一］

『井上光貞著『日本古代の国家と仏教』（1973・岩波書店）』▽『井上光貞他編『律令』（1976・岩波書店）』

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