Mothers and Sons in Chinese Buddhism

Abstract

This dissertation describes the role played by family values in the development of Chinese Buddhism. Buddhist tracts on the family written in China from the fifth to thirteenth century are translated and analyzed to demonstrate that the Buddhists crafted a new form of family values based on a mother-son style of filial piety (xiao), in contrast to the traditional Confucian model of father-son filial piety. In the Buddhist reformulation of filial piety the dominant themes are (1) the son's indebtedness to his mother, (2) her sinful and sexual nature, and (3) the claim that the Buddhist monastic institution can resolve these family problems. Considering twenty texts, trends in Buddhist family ideology are discussed from the point of view of the structure of the Chinese family and the needs of monastic Buddhism. The underlying argument is that by reorienting family values, the Buddhists succeeded in bridging the gap between the private world of the Chinese family and the public presence of monastic Buddhism, thereby securing a place for Buddhism in Chinese culture. This innovative form of filial piety reconstructed family roles such that mothers and sons were obligated to support the Buddhist establishment in order to satisfy the demands of their relationship. Surprisingly, Buddhist family values, despite their intrusive nature and untraditional thematics, remained in stalwart support of the traditional patrilineal family. Thus, the mother-son complex was made to serve both the Buddhists and the traditional family. Considering these developments gives a unique perspective on the character of Chinese Buddhism and the cultural history of China.

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