Nirvana sect

A Chinese Buddhist school that studies the Mahayana Nirvana Sutra as its fundamental scripture. One of the thirteen schools of Chinese Buddhism. Its heyday was from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the early Tang dynasty. Already Dosho (355-434), a disciple of Kumarajiva, had advocated the theory of enlightenment through sendai (the theory that even those who do not believe in the correct Dharma and lack the desire to seek the path can attain Buddhahood) based on the six volumes of the Mahāparinirvana Sutra translated by Faxian. Shortly after, the 40-volume Nirvana Sutra (Kitamoto) was brought to Jiankang (Nanjing), capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, by Tanwūzen (385-433) in 430, and the momentum for studying this sutra rapidly increased in the Chinese Buddhist community. In 436, Huiyan, Huiguan, and Xie Lingyun of the Song dynasty collated this with the previous six-volume edition and created the so-called Southern Nirvana Sutra, which consists of 36 volumes. Since then, this Southern Nirvana Sutra has been studied in Henan throughout the Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen dynasties, but was at its peak during the Liang dynasty. The three great monks of the Liang dynasty, Houn of Kotakuji Temple, Chizo of Kaizenji Temple, and Somin of Shogonji Temple, were all scholars of this sutra. In the north, there were many scholars who were admired, such as Donen (516-588), who wrote the 15-volume "Nirāha-gyō Commentary" and preached the doctrine of Nirvana at the Enkō-ji Temple in Chang'an and taught many disciples, and Huiyuan (523-592) of Jōyō-ji Temple. In addition, the 71-volume "Daipānaṇi-gyō Shūge" compiled by Baoliang (444-509) of Liang and others is a valuable source for understanding the state of Nirvana Sutra research before the three great monks of Liang.

[Kashiwagi Hiroo]

"A Study of the Nirvana Sect by Hirotake Fuse (1942, Sobunkaku / Reprint edition, 1973, Kokusho Kankokai)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国の仏教学派。大乗の『大般涅槃経(だいはつねはんぎょう)』を正依(しょうえ)の経典として研究する学派。中国仏教十三宗の一つ。その盛期は南北朝から初唐にかけた時代である。すでに鳩摩羅什(くまらじゅう)門下の道生(どうしょう)（355―434）は、法顕(ほっけん)訳『仏説大般涅槃経』六巻に基づいて闡提(せんだい)成仏論（正しい法を信ぜず求道心を欠く者も成仏するという説）を主張していたが、まもなく曇無讖(どんむせん)（385―433）によって『四十巻涅槃経』（北本）が、430年に東晋(とうしん)の都建康(けんこう)（南京(ナンキン)）に伝えられて以来、中国仏教界における本経講習の気運が急速に高まった。436年に、宋(そう)の慧厳(えごん)、慧観(えかん)、謝霊運(しゃれいうん)は、これを先の六巻本と対校して、36巻本のいわゆる『南本涅槃経』を作成した。爾来(じらい)、宋、斉、梁(りょう)、陳代を通じて、この南本が河南の地で研鑽(けんさん)されたが、とくに梁代が最盛期であった。梁の三大法師といわれた光宅寺法雲(こうたくじほううん)、開善寺智蔵(かいぜんじちぞう)、荘厳寺僧旻(しょうごんじそうびん)は、いずれも本経の研究者であった。また、北方においても、『涅槃経疏(しょ)』15巻を著すほか、長安延興寺にあって涅槃の宗旨を宣顕して多数の弟子を指導した曇延(どんえん)（516―588）や、浄影寺慧遠(えおん)（523―592）など、多数の研究鑽仰(さんぎょう)者を輩出した。なお、梁三大法師以前の涅槃経研究の状況をうかがうためには、梁の宝亮(ほうりょう)（444―509）らの撰(せん)『大般涅槃経集解(しゅうげ)』71巻が貴重な資料である。

［柏木弘雄］

『布施浩岳著『涅槃宗の研究』（1942・叢文閣／復刻版・1973・国書刊行会）』

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