Korea Journal of Buddhist StudiesISSN:1598-0642(Print)불교학연구회

This paper investigates how the ordination ceremony settled in Chinese Buddhism during the period of the Six Dynasties. In China, the ritual of upasampadā (具足戒) only become known to the Buddhist circle through the translation of Prātimokṣa-sūtra and Kammavācā in the mid-3rd century; that is, 250 years after Buddhism was introduced to the country. The specific circumstances of the time are unknown, but some people apparently did practice the ritual of upasampadā. Unfortunately, no translation of Bhikkunī-prātimokṣa from this time exists, and in the early 4th century, Jeong Gum received upasampadā from monks. In the middle and late 4th century, Dammasi translated Bhikkhu-prātimokṣa and Bhikkuṇī-prātimokṣa and, by the early 5th century, the translation of four Vinaya sutras was completed, thereby legitimizing the ordination ceremony in China. It is noticeable that the dual ceremony in Bhikkuni Sangha first appeared in this period. At almost the same time as the completion of the Vinayapiṭaka translation, bodhisattva-śīla emerged, once again raising the standards of religious precepts in Chinese Buddhism. This was probably affected significantly by Bosaljijigyeong, which first introduced bodhisattva-śīla in China. Regarding the relationship between upasampadā and bodhisattva-śīla, the scripture says that a would-be disciple cannot receive bodhisattva-śīla without having previously received upasampadā. It does not acknowledge a bhikkhu who received only bodhisattva-śīla, without upasampadā. In China, the traditional Buddhist precepts are understood and embraced within the system of Mahāyāna Buddhism, and no distinction is made between upasampadā and the precepts of Mahāyāna Buddhism. The examination of the ordination ceremony during the period of the Six Dynasties shows that Chinese Buddhists made vigorous efforts to establish legitimate grounds for the ordination ceremony, and strongly advocated the idea that bhikkhu and bhikkuṇī—who had already received upasampadā—could become the highest-level bodhisattva monks, by receiving bodhisattva-śīla, who conformed to the teaching of Mahāyāna Buddhism.