The will to orthodoxy : a critical genealogy of Northern Chan Buddhism
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The will to orthodoxy : a critical genealogy of Northern Chan Buddhism
Stanford University Press, 1997
- : hard
- : pbk
- Other Title
-
Bouddhisme chinois à la croisée des chemins, généalogie du bouddhisme Chan/Zen
- Uniform Title
-
Bouddhisme chinois à la croisée des chemins, généalogie du bouddhisme Chan/Zen
Available at 8 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Bibliography: p. [235]-269
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Marking a complete break with previous scholarship in the field, this book rewrites the history of early Chan (Zen) Buddhism, focusing on the genealogy and doctrine of one of its dominant strains, the so-called Northern school that flourished at the turn of the eighth century. The traditional interpretation of the Northern school was heavily influenced by the polemics of one of its opponents, the monk Shenhiu, who characterized the Northern school's teaching as propounding the belief that enlightenment occurred gradually, was measurable, and could be expressed in conventional language. To all this, Shenhiu and his teaching of "sudden enlightenment" were opposed, and Shenhiu's school and its version of history would later prevail. On the basis of documents found at Dunhuang, this book shows how the traditional view is incorrect, that Shenhiu's imposition of a debate between gradual and sudden conceals the doctrinal continuity between the two schools and the diversity of Chan thought in the period. The author buttresses his conclusions by placing the evolution of early Chan in the intellectual, political, social, and economic context of the mid-Tang. The book is in three parts.
The first part treats the biography and thought of the "founder" of the Northern school, Shenxiu, the nature of his followers, and his affinities for Buddhistic scholasticism. The second part studies the way in which the Northern school, after Shenxiu, adapted to new circumstances: changes in imperial policies, the rise of rival schools, and changes in the nature of its followers. The third part focuses on the internecine struggles around the genealogy of Chan as reflected in the Lengqie shizi ji (Record of the Masters and Disciples of the Lankavatara [School]) by the monk Jingjue. A close reading of this work reveals that it foreshadowed many of the themes and issues that would later come to the forefront in Zen, and contributes significantly to our reassessment of the teachings and practices of "pre-classical" Chan.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Shenxiu and his times
- 2. Shenxiu's doctrinal background
- 3. The Northern school after Shenxiu
- 4. Doctrinal evolution of the Northern school
- 5. The Dhyana Master Jingjue
- 6. The Lankavatara tradition and the Dongshan school
- 7. The textual tradition of the Record
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index.
by "Nielsen BookData"