A Study On The Vinaya Teaching Of Preceptor Jianyue Douti

This thesis presents a study on the Vinaya teaching of Preceptor Jianyue Douti. Master Jianyue was one of the masters who revived the teaching of Vinaya School in the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, and has been recognized as the second patriarch of the Qianhua Sect of the Vinaya School. After his full ordination by Preceptor Sanmei, Jianyue assisted Master Sanmei to transmit the precepts in various places and began to study the Vinaya pitaka himself. Later, he became the Dharma successor of Longchang Monastery in Mount Baohua. Master Jianyue dedicated his entire life to the dissemination and transmission of the Vinaya, and being a practitioner of virtue and integrity, he rigorouly followed the Vinaya of the Buddha in everyday life. His Vinaya teaching exhibits the characteristics of flexibility and integration, and further asserts the sacredness of the Vinaya as well as its importance in the sangha. Regarding the trasmission of the precepts, based on the Vinaya pitaka he has established formal guidelines for conducting the poshadha and ceremonies of precept transmission, and further complied related scriptures so that later learners of the Vinaya would know what to follow without misunderstanding. In addition, Master Jianyue has also established Shi-Jie-Tan or Stone Ordination Platform for the transmission of the precepts, which has become the exemplar for later precept transmissions in Chinese Buddhism. Furthermore, he has contributed greatly in the reformation of the monastic rules; based on the Vinaya, Jianyue first established new regulations and got rid of those which had been misappropriated and abused, and further expounded and followedthe system set up by the Buddha in the establishment of Buddhist monastery. As a result, later Buddhist practitioners and monasteries have a model to follow, and consequently Longchang Monastery has been reputed as "the greatest precept platform of the world" and has been a wonderful model as well as played an important role in the reformation of monastic discipline in the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.This thesis is divided into three parts. In addition to the first and the fifth chapters which present the introduction and conclusion of the thesis respectively, the main text is structured as follows.The second chapter presents a discussion on the historical background. The emergence of any school of thought must have its associated conditions of which its socio-historical background is one of the important factors. To study the Vinaya teaching of Preceptor Jianyue, one must first understand the historical context in which he has lived. This chapter of historical background contains two sections. The first section discusses the fundamental meaning of Buddhist precepts, how they have been formed, and for what reasons and purposes the Buddha established these precepts. It also presents how these precepts have been received and disseminated in China. The second section investigates the historical environment for the dissemination of Buddhism in general and the Vinaya teaching in particular in the end of the Ming Dynasty. Due to the improper religious policies of the Ming government, Buddhist monasteries encountered great difficulties in management which in turn led to the prevalent negligence of the precepts by Buddhist practitioners. It was under this socio-historical context that various Buddhist masters came out to urge and expound the importance of the precepts and consequently gave a refreshing vision to the teaching of Buddhist Vinaya.In Chapter Three, the life and writings of Preceptor Jianyue are discussed. From his life story, we learn that Jianyue was a practitioner of virtue and integrity; he devoted his entire life to the Dharma and although facing with great difficulties, he fearlessly followed the Vinaya teaching of the Buddha, established the monastery in Mount Baohua, and set up a firm foundation for Buddhist precept transmission sothat later practitioners would have a model to follow. In addition, Jianyue left many writings which clearly demonstrate his deep understanding and achievement in the Vinaya teaching of the Buddha and hence are a great asset for the study of the Vinaya in general.The fourth chapter presents the Vanaya teaching and practice of Preceptor Jianyue. It is divided into three sections. The first section discusses Jianyue's thought on the precepts, which contains the characteristics and main objective of his thought. It is clear that his Vinaya teaching exhibits the characteristics of flexibility and integration, and furthermore, for Jianyue, the main objective of the Vinaya is to be a representative of the Buddhadharma existing in the world as well as an important factor in maintaining and solidifying the sangha together and providing a foundation for practice. The second section examines Preceptor Jianyue's contribution to the transmission of Buddhist Vinaya. It is clearly demonstrated from the fact that the Triple Platform Precept Transmission Ceremony still used now is modeled based on Chuan Jie Zheng Fan written by Preceptor Jianyue that Jianyue's achievement on the Vinaya teaching has played a significant role in the development of precept transmission in Chinese Buddhism. The third section presents Jianyue's thought on the reformation and establishment of Buddhist monastery. Regarding this, Jianyue urged to remove what had been misappropriated and to restore the Vinaya teaching taught by the Buddha in the establishment of Buddhist monastery. Due to his deep understanding and suitable measure, his reformation of monastic discipline was a big success and a great achievement in the history of Chinese Buddhism.