earticle

영어

This paper explores the regional dissemination and ideological localization of the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa Sūtra (維摩經) within Chinese Buddhism during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. Despite the sutra’s significant role in this historical era, previous scholarship has predominantly concentrated on its philosophical dimensions or the intellectual contributions of individual monks, leaving the regional pathways of dissemination and the patterns of ideological adaptation relatively unexplored. Focusing on the monastic networks established by Kumārajīva and his disciples, this study investigates the specific routes through which the Vimalakīrti Sūtra was transmitted to various regions and examines the distinct local modes of reception and interpretation. Drawing systematically on primary historical sources, notably the Biographies of Eminent Monks (Gaoseng Zhuan 高僧傳) and the Collected Records Concerning the Tripiṭaka (Chu Sanzang Jiji 出三藏記集), this research tracks the movements and teaching activities of key monks. The findings reveal that scholarly monks originating from northern China significantly influenced Buddhist doctrinal developments through their exegetical and teaching activities in the southern capital, Jiankang (建康). These interactions facilitated a reciprocal and complementary relationship between the northern, theory-oriented Buddhist traditions and the southern, practice-oriented Buddhist cultures. The monastic networks, thus established, functioned as crucial conduits for integrating theoretical discourse from the north with practical religious culture in the south, stimulating interpretative plurality, regional synthesis, and localized adaptations of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra. Consequently, this paper argues that the dissemination of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra was not merely textual transmission; rather, it was intricately interwoven with local Buddhist thought and religious praxis. By illuminating these dynamics, this study deepens scholarly understanding of ideological integration and regional adaptation processes within Chinese Buddhism during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and it clarifies the concrete mechanisms of doctrinal exchange fostered through the Vimalakīrti Sūtra. The study also considers, in a limited “prehistory,” the transitional phase (Later Qin / Eastern Jin, incl. Kumārajīva’s 406 translation) as contextual groundwork for the Southern and Northern Dynasties analysis.

한국어

본고는 위진·남북조 전환기와 남북조 시기 중국불교에서 『유마경』의 지역 전파와 현지화 양상을 고찰하였다. 기존 국내 연구가 주로 철학적 분석과 개별 승려의 사상에 초점을 둔 데 비해, 본고는 구마라집과 그의 제자들이 형성한 승려 네트워크를 중심으로, 『고승전』, 『출삼장기집』 등의 문헌을 바탕으로 승려들의 이동과 강설 활동의 구체적 경로를 분석하였다. 그 결과 북방 출신 학승들이 남방의 수도 건강에서 펼친 주석·강설 활동은 남북 교학 전통의 상호보완적 발전을 가능하게 했으며, 이 과정에서 『유마경』은 단순히 전파된 텍스트가 아니라 지역적 불교 사상 및 실천과 결합하며 다채로운 해석과 현지화를 낳았음을 밝혔다. 이는 남북조 시대 중국불교의 사상적 통합과 지역적 현지화 과정을 이해하는 데 기여하고, 향후 불교 경전 수용 연구의 방법론적 틀을 제공한다. 아울러 후진·동진에 걸친 위진·남북조 전환기의 구마라집 번역과 초기 전파는 남북조 시기 지역 전파 메커니즘을 이해하기 위한 전사로 검토되었다.