禮懺思想的流行，是中國中古佛教發展的一大特色，當時禮懺多與帝王、士大夫所供施的信仰活動相結合，並依附著某種社會救濟之目的，可視為佛法從知識貴族廣布於庶民的介遞。本文以家國關懷的角度，觀察禮懺在中古流行的文化語境，包括其間之宗教心理意向（如捨身、贖罪），是否亦與當時禮懺的精神與目的相符應？方法上以比對懺文與所源出之經典為主。研究中發現，是類書寫多藉由體覺苦難而流露出惻憫的心境，最典型者莫過於作為齋主的王者，藉由祈願之淨化與療癒，導引出「以家刑國」的政治承擔與負荷眾生的「在予之意」，並透過懺法的實踐，共感於「身─家─國」場域。懺文中家國意識等語境的撰構，正是菩薩行「儒、佛雙兼」特色的說明。

The popularization of repentance ritual thought was a major feature in the development of Buddhism in China. During the Southern Dynasties, repentance ritual was combined with the religious activities of emperors and scholars for the purpose of providing social relief, and it became a means of propagating the dharma from knowledgeable aristocrats to commoners. This study examines repentance ritual from the perspective of a concern for the homeland. It pays close attention to the cultural contexts of repentance ritual that were popular in medieval times, including the religious intentions involved in repentance ritual. In terms of research method, this study focuses its investigation on repentance texts and the sutras on which they were based. It finds that these texts reveal a compassion that was arrived at through the perception of suffering, and also an intention to achieve purification through prayer. The most typical examples involve expressions of political commitment to “regulate families and govern states,” to rescue all living creatures through the purification of the six senses, and to practice repentance dharma to stimulate the common field of “individual-family-country.” The consciousness of family and country in repentance texts presents proof that “Bodhisattva practice” is featured in both Confucianism and Buddhism.