An Analysis Of The Inscriptions On The Tombs Of Monks And Nuns Of The Jin Dynasty In Shanxi Province

The epitaph of monks and nuns in The Jin Dynasty in Shanxi is an important content in the study of Buddhist history and jin Historiography in Shanxi.The development of Buddhism in Shanxi has not been interrupted since the introduction of Buddhism.Jin dynasty,social chaos,frequent wars,resulting in the Jin dynasty history than other dynasties more scarce.The monks and nuns group is an important part of the history of the Jin Dynasty,and the epitaph is the material carrier of its social life,which can more reflect the real social development at that time and supplement historical materials.In Shanxi,there are fifty-two buddhist temples and nuns in the Jin Dynasty.Due to the influence of region,policy,society and the rule of Liao and Song dynasty,the distribution of the epitaph of monks and nuns of Jin Dynasty in Shanxi is more than that in northern Jin and more male than female,but the overall development is relatively stable.The monks and nuns of The Jin Dynasty in Shanxi were influenced by multiple factors,such as family interests,being forced by the secular world,the support of the ruler’s policy,family reasons,their own desire for Buddha,forced by war and the influence of immigration.Monks and nuns had to be ordained after becoming a monk.In the Jin generation,with the continuous war and the shortage of military pay,monks and nuns used to choose buddhist scriptures and sell buddhist places for money instead of selling them for money.As a result,monks and nuns in the Jin dynasty became less specialized in Buddhism than in other periods.However,buddhist monks and nuns of The Jin Dynasty in Shanxi would travel to pay tribute to the virtues or open an altar to preach the Dharma,and build buddhist temples or help people during the war,which promoted the healthy development of Buddhism in the Jin Dynasty.The funeral rites of monks and nuns are mainly the combination of multiple funerals,and the funeral customs are mainly the use of pre-repair tomb tower and phase tomb technique and homing.The funeral custom combines Buddhist tradition with Chinese secular culture,and further promotes the development process of Sinicization and secularization of Buddhism.The Jin Dynasty was an important node in the development of Buddhism in China,and monks and nuns played a role as a bridge between Buddhism and the secular public.This paper reproduces the living conditions of monks and nuns at that time by analyzing the epitaphs and inscriptions of monks and nuns in Shanxi During the Jin Dynasty.By studying the lives of monks and nuns at that time,it presents the social features of the Jin Dynasty and the characteristics of Buddhism development in Shanxi,providing more materials for the study of jin Dynasty historiography and shanxi regional history.