forthy transmission from the Patriarchs of Ch'an
forthy transmission from the Patriarchs of Ch'an

Author: Alfred Schmielewski

Publisher: Greg Henry Waters Group

Published:

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13:

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INTRODUCTION This is an in depth commentary on the forty Transmission Gathas of the Patriarchs of Ch’an by a Western Yogi. The author sets out to ascertain what is was that the ancient Indian and Chinese sages transmitted. He attempts to intuit and explain how it was done, and how the recipients of the transmission were prepared for the thunderbolt of sudden enlightenment. The scriptures state that what was transmitted was the Mind, or Mind-Dharma, but that this was no ordinary mind. It was pure Mind, Mind itself, stripped to the utmost nakedness or clearness. This mind was said to be the Buddha, or the Wisdom of SupremeEnlightenment. The Patriarch Bodhidharma says in his famous dialougue with Emperor Wu “ The Dharma is like an empty space, as vast as the cosmos, with nothing holy therein. “ (1) Although the author has a certain degree of learning in the scriptures and sacred texts of ancient India, China, Tibet, Persia, Greece, and Egypt, he is a practicing Yogi and by no means a scholar, or a Linguist. Most of his commentary is based on his inner experiences, which result from his practice of advanced Yoga, But not on academia or book learning. Narayana expounds in his commentary pure intuitions, arising from an innerrealization, attained by means of Yoga and by the grace of God. His commentary is in no capacity scholarly or linguistic analysis, nor is it an interpretation of theological axioms or religious dogma. (The Yogi never wants any of his work turned into religious dogma or a religion of any kind.)

The Mystique of Transmission
The Mystique of Transmission

Author: Wendi Leigh Adamek

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 596

ISBN-13: 0231136641

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Adamek provides a reading of the late 8th century Chan/Zen Buddhist Lidai fabao ji (Record of the Dharma-Jewel Through the Generations) and provides its first English translation. The work combines a history of the transmission of Buddhism and Chan in China with an account of the 8th century Chan master Wuzhu in Sichuan.

Yongming Yanshou's Conception of Chan in the Zongjing lu
Yongming Yanshou's Conception of Chan in the Zongjing lu

Author: Albert Welter

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2011-04-26

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 019984240X

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Yongming Yanshou ranks among the great thinkers of the Chinese and East Asian Buddhist traditions, one whose legacy has endured for more than a thousand years. Albert Welter offers new insight into the significance of Yanshou and his major work, the Zongjing lu, by showing their critical role in the contested Buddhist and intellectual territories of the Five Dynasties and early Song dynasty China. Welter gives a comprehensive study of Yanshou's life, showing how Yanshou's Buddhist identity has been and continues to be disputed. He also provides an in-depth examination of the Zongjing lu, connecting it to Chan debates ongoing at the time of its writing. This analysis includes a discussion of the seminal meaning of the term zong as the implicit truth of Chan and Buddhist teaching, and a defining notion of Chan identity. Particularly significant is an analysis of the long underappreciated significance of the Chan fragments in the Zongjing lu, which constitute some of the earliest information about the teachings of Chan's early masters. In light of Yanshou's advocacy of a morally based Chan Buddhist practice, Welter also challenges the way Buddhism, particularly Chan, has frequently been criticized in Neo-Confucianism as amoral and unprincipled. Yongming Yanshou's Conception of Chan in the Zongjing lu concludes with an annotated translation of fascicle one of the Zongjing lu, the first translation of the work into a Western language.

The Hongzhou School of Chan Buddhism in Eighth- through Tenth-Century China
The Hongzhou School of Chan Buddhism in Eighth- through Tenth-Century China

Author: Jinhua Jia

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 0791481425

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This book provides a wide-ranging examination of the Hongzhou school of Chan Buddhism—the precursor to Zen Buddhism—under Mazu Daoyi (709–788) and his successors in eighth- through tenth-century China, which was credited with creating a Golden Age or classical tradition. Jinhua Jia uses stele inscriptions and other previously ignored texts to explore the school's teachings and history. Defending the school as a full-fledged, significant lineage, Jia reconstructs Mazu's biography and resolves controversies about his disciples. In contrast to the many scholars who either accept or reject the traditional Chan histories and discourse records, she thoroughly examines the Hongzhou literature to differentiate the original, authentic portions from later layers of modification and recreation. The book describes the emergence and maturity of encounter dialogue and analyzes the new doctrines and practices of the school to revise the traditional notion of Mazu and his followers as iconoclasts. It also depicts the strivings of Mazu's disciples for orthodoxy and how the criticisms of and reflections on Hongzhou doctrine led to the schism of this line and the rise of the Shitou line and various houses during the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods. Jia refutes the traditional Chan genealogy of two lines and five houses and calls for new frameworks in the study of Chan history. An annotated translation of datable discourses of Mazu is also included.

The Essence of Chan
The Essence of Chan

Author: Guo Gu

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2020-10-27

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 0834843080

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Clear and illuminating commentary on one of Bodhidharma’s most important texts—designed to help Chan practitioners apply timeless and essential advice to their practice Legend has it that more than a thousand years ago an Indian Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma arrived in China. His approach to teaching was unlike that of any of the Buddhist missionaries who had come to China before him. He confounded the emperor with cryptic dialogues, traveled the country, lived in a cave in the mountains, and eventually paved the way for a unique and illuminating approach to Buddhist teachings that would later spread across the whole of East Asia in the form of Chan—later to be known as Seon in Korean, Thien in Vietnamese, and Zen in Japanese. This book, a translation and commentary on one of Bodhidharma’s most important texts, explores Bodhidharma’s revolutionary teachings in English. Guo Gu weaves his commentary through modern and relatable contexts, showing that this centuries-old wisdom is just as crucial for life now as it was when it first came to be. Masterfully translated and accompanied by helpful insights to supplement daily practice, The Essence of Chan is the perfect guide for those new to Chan, those returning, or those who have been practicing for years.

禪關策進
禪關策進

Author: 祩宏

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0190200723

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"This book is an annotated translation of Changuan cejin: Whip for Spurring Students Onward Through the Chan Barrier Checkpoints (commonly abbreviated to Chan Whip)"--

The Linji Lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy
The Linji Lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy

Author: Albert Welter

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2008-02-28

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 0198044097

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The Linji lu, or Record of Linji, ranks among the most famous and influential texts of the Chan and Zen traditions. Ostensibly containing the teachings of the Tang dynasty figure Linji Yixuan, the text has generally been accepted at face value, as reliable records of the teachings of this historical figure. In this book, Albert Welter offers the first systematic study of the Linji lu in a western language. Welter places the Linji lu in its historical context, showing how the text was manipulated over time by the Linji faction. Rather than recording the teachings of the illustrious patriarch of legend, the text reflects the motivations of Linji-faction descendants in the Song dynasty (9601279). The story of the Linji lu is not simply the story of one heroic figure, Linji Yixuan, but the story of an entire movement that sought validation through retrospective image making. The success of this effort is seen in Chan's rise to prominence. Drawing on the findings of Japanese scholars, Welter moves beyond the minutiae of textual analysis to place the development of Linji lu within the broader forces shaping the development of the Chinese Records of Sayings literary genre as a whole.

The Power of Patriarchs
The Power of Patriarchs

Author: Elizabeth A. Morrison

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9004183019

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A study of the Northern Song Chan monk Qisong and his writings on Chan lineage, this book offers new arguments about Buddhist patriarchs, challenges assumptions about Chan masters, and provides insight into the interactions of Buddhists and the imperial court.