蓮華色比丘尼是佛陀稱讚神力第一的比丘尼，然而未皈依前的亂倫事件，曾為妓女的特殊生命樣態，曲折離奇的人生際遇，其故事在佛典有大量題材。本文試圖以敘事學的方法，將研究範圍聚焦於三部佛教律典。即蓮華色比丘尼皈依前涉及亂倫的完整敘事情節，透過對三篇文本進行闡釋分析，細讀蓮華色比丘尼文本差異，包含敘事情節、人物視角、文本聚焦及敘述者干預情況及人物如何塑造等多重角度對照，結合神話學中命名象徵來探析蓮華色比丘尼敘事深層意涵。雖然三部律典都有從蓮華色由「不知」到「知」的亂倫情節，讓其開展離家的行動歷程，所不同的是：《四分律》的蓮華色反映社會女性普遍卑微地位及生活困境，而《五分律》的蓮華色一變為傳統倫理道德的婦女形象，最後在《毘奈耶》敘事中，我們可見蓮華色比丘尼已從社會婦女「普遍性」的形象掙脫，成為具有「獨特性」，性格分明的「青蓮花」，行動類似傳奇人物，並增添許多情節與人物，此書寫策略超越了亂倫情節的悲劇性，層層深入轉折，從而導向為「轉慾成聖」、引入佛門精勤修行的啟悟歷程。

In the Buddhist scriptures Utpala-varna (蓮華色) is praised by the Buddha as the foremost bhiksuni in terms of supernormal powers. Yet, she is also notorious for her pre-monastic background, the sordid details of which include her committing incest and engaging in prostitution. Moreover, in the course of transmission and translation of her story, Utpala-varna has come to be associated with a wide variety of fantastic tales. These developments can be analyzed from a number of different perspectives. Combining the approaches of mythology and narratology, this article makes a critical analysis of the Utpala-varna cycle of stories which are related in the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya, the Mahisasaka-vinaya, and the Mulasarvastivada- vinaya of the Chinese Buddhist Canon, providing the most complete version of the incest incidents. In the first section, the narratological frame of reference is used to make a detailed comparative reading of the three versions of the story, including the plot, characters, narrative structure, and the narrator's perspective. Next, the mythological perspective is adopted to make an inquiry into the symbolic meaning of the name ＂Utpala-varna＂ and the narrative structure of the incest incidents. The results are then used to uncover the underlying meaning meant to be conveyed by this cycle of stories, as well as to elucidate the various ways in which the symbolic imagery of the lotus is employed. All three versions make Utpala-varna's realization of the evil of incest the catalyst for her going forth into the life of a Buddhist nun, yet there are certain impressed differences involved. In the Dharmaguptaka account Utpala-varna is portrayed as representing the position of an ordinary woman in ancient Indian society, while in the Mahisasaka version she is cast in the image of a woman in traditional Confucian society. In the Mūla-sarvastivada version, however, while known as Utpala (青蓮花), instead of being cast in a traditional mold, she is clearly portrayed as a distinctive, legendary character who transcends her tragic background and enters the path of sainthood. The variety of ways in which Utpala-varna is portrayed in these three vinaya texts provides rich material for a comparative analysis from the perspective of narratology.