《嘉兴藏》与明清之际历史研究

明清之际佛书对考史有不可替代的作用。其一,许多明遗民迫于形势遁入空门,其记述论说逃过清朝严禁,以佛书的形式得以保存,故佛书成为研究他们的活动与思想不可或缺的珍贵资料;其二,清初顺治、康熙朝,若干僧侣入事朝廷,预闻要务,所以研究当时史事也离不开他们的作品,而这些著怍大多集中于《嘉兴藏》的续藏、又续藏部分

The Jiaxing Canon (Jiaxing zang) and Historical Research on the Ming- Qing Transitional Period

Ming - Qing transitional Buddhist works play an invaluable role in historical studies. Firstly, they include works by many Ming loyalists who were forced to take refuge among the ranks of the Buddhist clergy. Their writings which would otherwise have been proscribed by the Qing court were preserved within Buddhist collections. For this reason Buddhist works are an important source for studying the activities and philosophies of Ming loyalists. Secondly, in the Shunzhi and Kangxi reigns of the early Qing, many monks served at the court and were party to important court actions. Any scholar of this period cannot overlook the writings of this group of officials, many of which are included in the compilation The Jiaxing Canon and its sequels.