Lives of the nuns :: :: University of Virginia Library

Animals: concourse with indicating
holiness, 22-23, 24-45, 32, 44,
55, 72;
- freeing, 102;
- and Taoism,
  125 n. 91
Apologetics, Buddhist, 4
Assemblies, four Buddhist: established in
China for the first time, 25
Assembly of Nuns, 19;
- and Assembly of
  Monks, 1, 6;
- and obstacles to entry, 1;
- ranking of, 99;
- requirements for admission,
  37;
- and state, 5, 13. See also
  Monastic life; Monastic rules; Precepts;
  Prohibitions
Begging: for alms, 18, 32, 79;
- for medicine,
  48
Begging bowl and staff: as symbol of
monastic life, 35, 127 n. 114
Biographical writing: and prototypes for
the Lives of the Nuns, 110;
- purposes
  of, 109;
- tradition in China, 109
Buddha's name: repeating (nien fo),
49
Buddhism: and apologetics, 4;
- and Confucianism,
  4;
- and entry into China, 2;
- and meaning for Chinese, 12-13;
- positive evidence for, 2;
- proof of truth
  of promises, 12, 32;
- reasons for acceptance
  of, 3-4;
- and social class, 3;
- and
  state, 5, 13;
- and Taoism, 2, 3-5, 10,
  11, 13, 29-30
Buddhist path: and first fruit (srotāpanna-phala),
53, 132 n. 86;
- and nirvana, 21,
  
  185
  
  85;
- and third fruit (anāgāmin), 96,
  147 n. 52
Burial, 70, 76, 97, 100, 102, 104, 105
Chanting of scriptures. See Scriptures,
chanting
Chastity: maintaining, 16, 22, 24, 74
Ch'u san-tsang chi chi (Collected notes on
the translation of the Buddhist scriptures
into Chinese), 107
Collected Notes on the Translation of the
Buddhist Scriptures into Chinese (Ch'u
san-tsang chi chi), 107
Commentaries to texts written by nun, 74
Complete Collection of Books and
Records Ancient and Modern (Ku chin
t'u shu chi ch'eng), 108-109
Compositions written by nuns, 33, 91, 95
Condensed T'ang k'ai-yüan reign period
catalogue of Buddhist Writings (K'ai-yüan
shih chiao lu), 107
Confession, 25, 42, 44, 46, 51, 55, 63,
71, 89, 97, 104
Confucianism: and Buddhism, 4;
- education
  in classics of, 23, 40;
- and filial
  piety, 20, 23, 26, 41, 45, 47, 48;
- and
  five classics, 84, 142 n. 72;
- and mourning,
  62, 71;
- and philosophical foundation
  of country, 3;
- and quotation from
  Confucius, 56, 148 n. 65;
- and quotation
  from Classic of History, 76
Convents: and connection to Assembly of
Monks, 6;
- and effects of location, 6;
- first, 5-6;
- importance of, 8;
- and interference
  from state, nobility, and aristocracy,
  6;
- social usefulness of, 6;
- and
  status of independence, 6
Cult practices, 9
Death: manner of, 11;
- chopping up body
  after, 43;
- and revival, 45, 71, 131 n. 63;
- Taoist, 12, 19, 31, 126 n. 96, 130 n. 41
Dharmaguptaka Monastic Rules in Four
Divisions, 46
Diet of nuns: arrowroot and taro in, 62;
- cereals in, 10;
- and forgotten taste of
  food, 80;
- fragrant oils in, 10, 65;
- hemp
  and sesame in, 135 n. 113;
- incense in,
  10;
- no flesh or strong-flavored vegetables
  in, 43, 59, 61, 87, 103, 104;
- no
  fine food in, 51;
- no food at all in, 10,
  80;
- no sweet or fat food in, 51;
- one dish
  of vegetables a day in, 76;
- parts of pine
  tree in, 10, 51;
- plain vegetables and
  coarse rice in, 71;
- sesame and mountain
  thistles in, 56;
- Taoist influence in, 10,
  135 n. 113, 136 n. 118;
- water only in,
  98. See also Feasts and fasts, vegetarian;
- Vegetarianism
Discourse on Abhidharma, 99
Discourse on the Completion of Reality,
99, 103
Divination, 30-31
Divine figures, gods, and their abodes:
Amita Buddha, 9, 33, 38-39, 48,
129 n. 16;
- Bodhisattva Kuan-shih-yin,
  9, 27, 32, 39, 42, 50;
- Bodhisattva P'u-hsien
  (Samantabhadra), 41;
- Bodhisattva
  Ta-shih-chih, 39;
- Buddha, 2, 4,
  49;
- Maitreya (Buddha-to-be), 9-10,
  40, 42, 51;
- Pindola (Holy Monk), 910,
  75, 89, 90, 139 n. 38;
- Sāgara
  Dragon King Brothers, 90;
- spirits of,
  68, 71, 88;
- and Tushita Heaven (of
  Maitreya), 9-10, 42, 51, 88, 90, 91,
  130 n. 40;
- and Western Paradise or Pure
  Land (of Amita Buddha), 9-10, 33,
  38-39, 48, 67, 125 n. 95
Dreams, 32, 39, 46, 59, 88, 90, 91
Dress. See Robes and dress
Duty, woman's: traditional conception of,
119 n. 22
Education and literacy among nuns, 7
Enlightenment and Buddhahood for
women, 1
Faith, Buddhist: brings response and
proof of Buddhist claims, 9;
- established
  during a former life, 53;
- man of devout,
  28; pure, 26, 31;
- in religion and practice,
  44, shallow, 18;
- spreads kindness,
  
  186
  
  103;
- upon first hearing Buddhist teaching,
  17
Fa yüan chu lin (Forest of pearls in the
garden of the law), 107, 108, 109
Feasts and fasts, vegetarian, 20, 22, 23,
31, 39, 42, 75, 83, 90. See also Diet;
- Vegetarianism
Field of merit, 9, 57
Flowers and holiness, 30
Foreknowledge, 96;
- of death, 75
Forest of Pearls in the Garden of the Law
(Fa yüan chu lin), 107, 108, 109
Forged books, 4-5
Former life, 20, 42, 53, 68, 82
Immortality, 12
Incorrupt body, 12, 44
Inexhaustible treasury, 95, 145 n. 43
K'ai-yüan shih chiao lu (T'ang k'ai-yüan
reign period collection of Buddhist
writings), 107
K'ai-yüan shih chiao lu lüeh ch'u (Condensed
T'ang k'ai-yüan reign period
catalogue of Buddhist writings), 107
Kao seng chuan (Lives of eminent
monks), 6, 107;
- compared to the Lives
  of the Nuns, 12
Ku chin t'u shu chi ch'eng (Complete
collection of books and records ancient
and modern), 108-109
Lantern Festival: origins of, 136 n. 132.
See also Moon, phases of
Lieh nü chuan (Lives of illustrious
women), 110
Li tai san pao chi (Records of the Three
Treasures through the ages), 107
Lives of Eminent Monks (Kao seng
chuan), 6, 107
Lives of Famous Monks (Ming seng
chuan), 107
Lives of Illustrious Women (Lieh nü
chuan), 110
Lives of the Nuns: and biographies as
proof of the Buddhist way, 111;
- Buddhist
  texts as models for, 111;
- compared
  to Lieh nü chuan (Lives of illustrious
  women), 110-111;
- date of, 108;
- importance of, 107;
- organization and
  content of, 1;
- and secular influence,
  111;
- sources of, 108-109
Lo-yang ch'ieh-lan chi (Record of monasteries
and convents in Lo-yang), 6
Magic, 20, 30;
- in Buddhism and Taoism,
  4
Mahāprajāpatī Scripture: and model for
women, 111
Mahīshāsaka-vinaya (Wu fen lü), 112
Marriage: rejection of, 7, 20, 26, 28, 49,
84, 92, 105
Meditation: competence in, 16;
- five ways
  or five gates of, 97, 147 n. 54;
- as heart
  of monastic life, 11;
- and Taoism, 11,
  134 n. 96;
- and trance in activity, 104;
- and trance of immobility, 11, 53, 55,
  57, 59;
- of visualizing the Buddha in
  one's presence, 81, 141 n. 62
Ming seng chuan (Lives of famous
monks), 107
Misogyny in Buddhism, 1
Monastic life: and beginnings for men in
China, 5;
- and beginnings for women in
  China, 1;
- four essentials of, 82, 92, 98,
  141 n. 66;
- and investigation by state, 5;
- and translation of monastic rules, 5.
  See also Begging;
- Begging bowl and
  staff; Burial;
- Burning; Cult practice;
- Diet;
- Meditation;
- Monastic rules;
- Robe
  and begging bowl;
- Robes and dress;
- Scriptures, chanting; Suicide;
- Teaching;
- Tonsure; Vegetarianism;
- Visions; Vow
Monastic rules (vinaya): and authenticity
of lineage, 9;
- bestowing full obligation
  for rules upon nuns, 18;
- and five sectarian
  divisions, 100, 148 n. 70;
- lack of,
  hindering formation of Assembly of
  Nuns, 2;
- number of, for nuns, 18,
  116 n. 6;
- purpose of, 9;
- transmission
  of, 9, 18, 19, 37-38, 54, 62-63, 70,
  86, 89

187

Monasticism: and success as an institution,
12
Moon, phases of, as auspicious dates:
eighth day, fourth month (Buddha's
birthday), 51, 76, 40, 52;
- eighth day,
  second month (Buddha's final nirvana),
  19, 67, 79-80, 80-81;
- fifteenth day,
  first month (Lantern Festival), 65, 67;
- fifteenth day, ninth month, 67;
- fifteenth
  day, second month (Buddha's
  final nirvana), 85;
- and suicide, 12
Mother of Monasticism Scripture: teaching
of, 103
Murder, 30, 99
Nuns: famous vs. ordinary, 8;
- lives as
  proof of truth of Buddhist scriptures,
  12;
- Mahāprajāpatī as first nun in the
  world, 15, 37;
- as models, 15-16
Offices: director of conventual affairs in
the capital, 64;
- rector of assembly, 62,
  63
Omens: character for Buddha as, 76;
- evil,
  30;
- good (as signs of spiritual accomplishment),
  19, 22-23, 25, 39, 40, 41,
  51, 55, 68, 88, 89
Philosophers, Hundred schools of nonBuddhist,
95
Pine tree: eating parts of, 10;
- and immortality,
  10
Poem composed by nun, 83
Precepts: eight, 31, 69, 125 n. 83;
- five,
  24, 41, 87, 122 n. 52, 143 n. 5;
- ten, of a
  bodhisattva, 139 n. 35;
- ten, of a novice,
  18, 45, 46, 100, 116 n. 7
Prohibitions: eight special, for women,
54, 133 n. 92; six, 129 n. 26
Pure Talk, 29, 124 n. 74
Record of Monasteries and Convents in
Lo-yang (Lo-yang ch'ieh-lan chi), 6
Records of the Three Treasures through
the Ages (Li tai san pao chi), 107
Refuges, three: called upon for help, 32;
- ceremony of taking, 58;
- to drive away
  nightmares, 97;
- keep mind fixed on,
  24;
- offering body to, 65, 80;
- offer
  obeisance to, 15;
- spiritual power of,
  31, 42
Relics. See Sharīra
Revelation: of doctrine, 34-35, 93,
144 n. 32;
- of texts, 67, 127 n. 112
Rituals for Entering Monastic Life, 46
Robe and begging bowl: as symbols of
monastic life, 31, 74, 75
Robes and dress: to conceal body only,
77;
- dyed robes with mud, 90;
- expensive
  vestments, 21;
- fine clothing, 36, 52,
  62, 87;
- finely embroidered outer robes,
  22;
- hempen clothing, 89;
- rough and
  ragged monastic robes, 27, 35, 104;
- same clothing in heat and cold, 76;
- straw sandals and hempen robes, 43;
- traditional color for robes in China,
  144 n. 17;
- traditionally made from
  rags, 120 n. 27;
- worn-out clothing, 59
Samādhi, 79;
thoughts in, 93
Saving living beings, 49, 72, 79, 104
Schools of Buddhism: Disciples' Vehicle
(Hīnayāna, Small Vehicle), 1, 39,
113 n. 4, 121 n. 50;
- Great Vehicle
  (Mahāyāna), 1, 24, 39, 58, 77, 78, 93,
  113 n. 4;
- 121 n. 50, 129 n. 29,
- Mahāsānghika
  Sect, 19;
- Sarvāstivada Sect,
  103;
- Theravāda School, 113 n. 4,
  122 n. 50
Scriptures, chanting: 10, 11, 22, 24, 29,
41, 42, 49, 50, 101, 103, 104;
- speed
  of, 11, 22, 34, 45, 50, 91, 95;
- during
  suicide, 60, 65;
- superior skill in, 68
Scriptures, chanting from memory, 21,
29, 34, 45, 50, 74;
- number of, 55;
- and
  sanctity, 11
Scriptures, popular: Bodhisattva Kuanshih-yin
Scripture, 24, 50, 111;
- Flower
  Garland Scripture, 99;
- Flower of the
  True Law Scripture, 1, 22, 27, 29, 34,
  41, 42, 49, 50, 91, 97, 98, 101, 103,
  105, 111;
- Flower of the True Law
  
  188
  
  Scripture (chapter on the medicine
  king), 65;
- Flower of the True Law
  Scripture (Universal Gate chapter), 31;
- Great Final Nirvāna Scripture, 50, 74,
  87, 95, 99, 103;
- Infinite Life Scripture,
  104;
- Larger Perfection of Wisdom
  Scripture, 45, 47;
- Sarvāstivāda Monastic
  Rules in Ten Recitations, 63, 88,
  101, 106;
- Shrīmālā-devī-simhanādasūtra,
  73, 101, 104;
- Shūrangamasamādhi-Scripture,
  39;
- Smaller Perfection
  of Wisdom Scripture, 29, 34, 48;
- Vimalakīrti-nirdesha-Scripture, 1, 29,
  34, 73, 78, 101, 124 n. 73
Scythians, 19
Sexes: relations between, 22
Sharīra (relics), 66, 81, 137 n. 133;
- and
  bones, 65;
- and Buddha's housing,
  145 n. 37
Social and political conditions, 64, 7374,
102;
- and barbarians, 3, 56, 70, 76,
  117 n. 12;
- and Buddhism at time of
  entry into China, 2;
- and plague, 32;
- and political division of China, 3
Social class and Buddhism, 3
Social origins of monks and nuns, 7-8
Sources for the Lives of the Nuns: Chin
nan-ching ssu chi (Notes on the convents
and monasteries of the southern
capital of the Chin dynasty), 109;
- Fa
  yüan chu lin (Forest of pearls in the
  garden of the law), 107-109;
- Kuang
  hung ming chi (Extended collection
  making known the illustrious), 109;
- Ming hsiang chi (Records of mysterious
  omens), 108-109
Suicide by fire, 60, 80, 111, 146 n. 47;
- ambivalence about, 11-12;
- as ascetic
  ideal, 16, 52, 80-81;
- as offering to the
  Buddha, 11;
- and Taoism, 11
Taoism, 29-30, 113 n. 9;
- and animals,
  125 n. 91;
- and Buddhism, 3-4, 4-5,
  29-30;
- and death, 12, 19, 31, 126 n.
  96, 130 n. 41;
- and diet, 10, 51;
- and
  practice of swallowing the breath, 29;
- trance in, 134 n. 96;
- and Way of Yellow
  Emperor and Lao-tzu, 22, 29, 71
Tathāgatha, 39, 129 n. 16
Teaching: effectiveness of nuns', 8;
- first
  nun who specialized in expounding the
  meaning of scripture, 29;
- Flower of the
  Law Scripture, 97, 98, 103;
- Great Final
  Nirvāna Scripture, 103;
- important, 16;
- influence of, 19;
- master, 26;
- Mother of
  Monasticism Scripture, 103;
- of nun
  honored as spiritual teacher, 25;
- saving
  people by, 23;
- Shrīmālā Scripture, 73;
- Smaller Perfection of Wisdom Scripture,
  29, 34;
- Ten Stages Scripture, 103;
- Vimalakīrti Scripture, 34, 73, 78
Ten Stages Scripture, 103
Tonsure, 18, 68
Trance. See Meditation
Vegetarianism: in China, 10;
- in early
  Buddhism, 10;
- and first precept of nonharm,
  10;
- and Taoism, 10. See also
  Diet;
- Feasts and fasts, vegetarian
Vestments. See Robes and dress
Vinaya. See Monastic rules
Visions, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 60, 75, 88,
90, 105;
- of near-death, 45
Vow: to burn body as worship offering,
65;
- to die rather than marry, 92;
- fulfilled,
  41;
- to leave household life, 49;
- not to marry, 84, 105;
- proof of, 39-40;
- to be reborn in Tushita Heaven, 42;
- to
  spread Buddhist religion, 104
Vows: of bodhisattva, 38, 75
Way of Yellow Emperor and Lao-tzu, 22,
29, 71
Wu fen lü (Mahīshāsaka-vinaya), 112
Yellow Emperor and Lao-tzu, 22, 29, 71