Medieval Buddhist of the Day

[Twitter, 10/11/19] Medieval Buddhist of the Day, post-High Holy Days edition: Han Xiaorong 寒小容. In 562 (N. Qi) she dedicated an image of Guanyin with what I *think* is a penitential vow, which is rather unusual. I could probably use a second opinion on how to interpret her dedication.

The image was found in the Quyang hoard, and is inscribed 河清元年七月八日，清信士女寒小容，在鄉迷無所知，吴犯佛事，今造觀世音菩薩一區，願生生世世值[佛聞法]. (NB the last three characters are missing and inferred from context.) The tricky part is her reasons for donating. So: “On [a date in 562], the pure and faithful daughter Han Xiaorong, being in her hometown (?) deluded and without knowledge, offended against the tenets of the Buddha [or, disrupted a Buddhist ceremony?]. Today she has commissioned a Guanyin image, in the hopes that for many incarnations to come she will be able to meet the Buddha and hear of the dharma.”

The tricky parts are 在鄉 which is rather awkward but seems to mean “in her hometown,” and 吴犯佛事. 佛事 can be the tenets of Buddhism or a specific Buddhist ceremony. But 吴犯? Inscriptions of this period are full of substitute characters, both real alternate characters and apparent errors where a homonym is substituted for the intended word. I thought it might be a substitution for 忽犯, but honestly I’m reaching. Alternative suggestions welcome. Still, the implication is clear that she somehow offended or disrupted a Buddhist rule or ceremony through ignorance, and dedicated the Guanyin image as a sort of penitence, and in hopes for better knowledge in the future. I don’t know that I’ve seen many penitential images or donations in the past. It opens up a whole new (to me) rationale for sponsoring an image – though it’s a rationale that’s not hard to understand.