空海による「傍生」の語の用い方 ―『十住心論』における「畜生」の語の用法との比較を中心に―

Abstract

The paper aims to compare Kukai’'s use of the words “boushou（傍生)”and “chikushou(畜生)” and clarify his intention by examining his representative work, based on the hypothesis that Kukai used the word boushou with the intention to replace the word chikushou. In Japanese society, the Buddhist term “chikushou” has been used with a negative nuance that goes beyond the original meaning of the word. There was a history of discrimination by Buddhist monks who created commandment names for the discriminated tribespeople with the character for “chiku（畜）”. On the other hand, if Kukai had already tried to use “boushou” instead of “chikushou” in ancient times, there may be room for the Japanese Buddhist community, which is strongly influenced by traditional customs, to follow his example. In this study, we compared and examined not only “Jujushinron” but also “Bonshokai Chisho,” which is said to be the source of the quotation, and also sought examples in Kukai’'s other works, “Benkenmitsu Nikyōron” and “Shouji Jissougi,” to deepen our discussion and discover the tendency of Kukai to use by living beings in place of animals.