本論文擬從克莉斯蒂娃（Julia Kristeva，1941-）「賤斥母親」的觀點重新閱讀妙善和觀音千手千眼變身的議題。目前的觀音信仰研究多強調女神提供父權、父神無法取代的社會功能，而女神母性、陰性的特質（如慈愛、柔順）又使祂們倍受女性敬拜。事實上，妙善傳說對中國封建父權的孝道有著再社會化和陌生化的文化翻譯（cultural translation）。因此，重新理解出現在第十一世紀後的《香山寶卷》是如何由觀音信仰承載中國儒孝、從分析中國妙善公主捨手眼治父疾是如何在保存觀音菩薩在《千手千眼觀世音菩薩廣大圓滿無礙大悲心陀羅尼經》原型意象的前提上，延伸、杜撰女子抗婚、救父以修行的新社會價值，都有助於當代讀者反省民間流傳的觀音故事，是如何透過未婚女性形象，重新翻譯千手千眼內含賤斥身體的佛教圖像。 This essay is to re-read the transformation issue of Princess Miao-shan as a Chinese Kuan-yin (i.e. Avalokiteśvara) from the perspective of the abject mother. The abject mother, according to Julia Kristeva (1941- ), indicates a woman’s ambivalent characterization through the ethical confrontations between her selfhood and the patriarchic society, of which involves an intricate re-socializing process when her identity is impacted by a solid belief system, starting from disobeying the arranged marriage to the renewed meaning of filial piety. Kuan-Yin in Hsiang-shan Pao-chüan provides such an image of abject mother, being first as a young daughter vehemently disobeying her father, but later surprisingly and successfully saving the life of her father, by sacrificing her eyes and hands. By perceiving the Chinese-Buddhistic ethical confrontation in the mentioned text as cultural translation, this paper thereby exemplifies Princess Miao-shan to be a figure of abject mother.
