涅槃宗 [py] Nièpán zōng [wg] Nieh-p'an tsung [ko] 녈반종 Yŏlbanjong [ja] ネハンシュウ Nehanshū ||| The Niepan zong, or Nirvāna Sutra School. One of the so-called "thirteen sects 十三宗" of China. This school, centering on the teachings contained in the Mahāyāna Nirvāna-sutra 涅槃經,advocated such doctrines as the eternal existence of the dharma-body 法身 and the presence of the buddha-nature 佛性 in all sentient beings. Once the Northern edition of the sutra arrived in Honan, Tao-sheng 道生, who had been criticized for his denouncement of icchantika 一闡提 theory, was vindicated. Studies of the sutra then began to flourish, and the southern Nirvana Sutra school came into being. Hui-kuan postulated the teaching classification 判教 of five periods of sudden and gradual 頓漸五時, placing the content of the Nirvana Sutra as reflecting the most complete expression of the Buddha's instruction. The peak of the Nirvana school was during the period of the northern and southern courts (439-589). After the time of the Sui, commentarial works on the sutra were written by such eminent figures as Huiyuan 慧遠, Chi-tsang 吉蔵, and Kuan-ting 灌頂, but it began to be phased out as a separate entity with the appearance of the Samgraha 攝論宗 and Tiantai 天台宗 schools. It almost fully disappeared during the T'ang, especially after the appearance of the Sanlun 三論宗, Faxiang 法相宗 and Huayan 華嚴宗 schools, but its basic doctrines were deeply assimilated by these successor traditions. The Nirvana school tradition was also transmitted to Korea and Japan, where it held significant influence.
The School based on the 大般涅槃經 Mahaparinirvāṇa Sutra, first tr. by Dharmarakṣa A.D. 423. Under the 陳 Chen dynasty this Nirvāṇa school became merged in the Tiantai sect.
依大乘涅槃經，弘布「一切眾生皆有佛性，如來常住，無有變易」之教派。我國十三宗之一。又作常修多羅宗、涅槃學派。其學者被稱為涅槃師。以大般涅槃經之譯者曇無讖為開祖，隋唐以前頗為盛行，爾後衰頹於天台宗崛興之時。
首先，鳩摩羅什之門人道生研究東晉法顯與佛陀跋陀羅合譯之六卷大般泥洹經，提出「闡提成佛」之說，遭學者非議，乃遁潛南方，於建康開創龍光寺，又移居廬 山。其後三年，即劉宋武帝永初二年（421），曇無讖於涼州譯出大般涅槃經四十卷，經中明舉「闡提成佛」之說，學者始歎服道生之說而從其論。道生於所著之 法華經疏卷上，立「四種法輪」之說，闡揚涅槃經中之常住妙理，並稱之為「第四無餘法輪」。又曇無讖不僅從事翻譯，更極力弘傳，乃至以講說促進涅槃研究之 勢。佐助其譯業者有道朗、崇智等人，吉藏之大乘玄論卷三有道朗所著之涅槃義疏，解說曇無讖之譯本，提倡中道為佛性。又南方有道場寺之慧觀，繼曇無讖之遺 志，欲求殘餘之梵本，隨後有道普等西行尋求，然未達成目的。其時，慧觀、慧嚴及謝靈運同奉劉宋文帝之敕命，參酌法顯及曇無讖所譯，加以潤飾，整頓品類，此 即南本涅槃經，計三十六卷；與此相對者，即曇無讖所譯之北本涅槃經。北地沿用北本，南地則依用南本。
宋、齊、梁、陳、隋之間，學者輩出，涅槃之攻究特盛，或為之註疏，或努力講說，蔚為一時之學。宋朝有慧靜、曇無成、僧莊、道汪、僧亮、靜林、慧定、曇 斌、超進、法瑤、曇濟等；齊有道慧、慧基、僧宗、曇纖、僧柔、敬遺等；梁朝有寶亮、智秀、法智、曇准等。梁武帝特宗涅槃一經，曾於同泰寺宣講此經，又修涅 槃懺，並於天監八年（509），敕命寶亮製涅槃經義疏十萬餘言。寶亮之門下有光宅寺之法雲、莊嚴寺之僧旻等。隋代有曇延、慧遠、道綽、法礪等，至唐朝仍有 靈潤、道洪等講說涅槃，並有道宣、法寶等志在涅槃而加以弘傳。彼等諸師之著述，傳之今日者有寶亮所輯大般涅槃經集解七十一卷，乃彙集六朝時代南本涅槃諸釋 家之立說，由此可得知成立涅槃宗的當代學者之學說。諸釋家取實相論之學風，以般若、成實論等之義為根柢是其特徵。至天台宗興起，智顗以自家之教觀為依準， 而以涅槃經為法華之補助，且視之為捃拾教。爾後獨立講說弘布此經者日少，終至絕。唯今韓國、日本猶存其餘緒，然僅傳其教旨，奉為一般之信仰，而並未特別 標舉門風派別。
有關涅槃宗之教判，最早有慧觀以涅槃經為佛陀一代最極之教，主張五時教判，此係根據涅槃經中「乳、酪、生酥、熟酥、醍醐」等五味之說而立者。涅槃經集解 卷三十五依僧亮之說，以佛教由小而起，以乳比喻三藏，酪比喻三乘之雜說，生酥比喻方等，熟酥比喻空般若，醍醐比喻涅槃經之法。如此則有小乘、三乘、方等、 般若、涅槃五時。僧宗復將佛陀一代時教分為小乘、三乘通教、思益維摩、法華、涅槃等五時。寶亮亦將小乘、通教、維摩思益、法華、涅槃等次第配以五味而詳加 解說。要之，此宗學者所判五時之次第即價值之次第，並以之為究極無餘之真教、佛出世本懷之說。蓋一切眾生悉有佛性、闡提皆得成佛、佛具常、樂、我、淨之四 德，及如來藏等諸說即涅槃宗之主要教義。〔婆藪槃豆法師傳、大般涅槃經集解卷一、出三藏記集卷八、梁高僧傳卷二、卷三、卷七、卷八、卷十二、法華經玄義卷 十上、廣弘明集卷二十八〕。（參閱「五時教」1136、「涅槃」4149）
OUR SPONSORS
RELATED ORGANIZATIONS
