The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts

The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts

ISBN-10:
0195150678
ISBN-13:
9780195150674
Pub. Date:
03/25/2004
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0195150678
ISBN-13:
9780195150674
Pub. Date:
03/25/2004
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts

The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts

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Overview

Bodhidharma, its first patriarch, reputedly said that Zen Buddhism represents "a special transmission outside the teaching/Without reliance on words and letters." This saying, along with the often perplexing use of language (and silence) by Zen masters, gave rise to the notion that Zen is a "lived religion" based strictly on practice. This collection of previously unpublished essays argues that Zen actually has a rich and varied literary heritage. Among the most significant texts are hagiographic accounts and recorded sayings of individual Zen masters, koan collections and commentaries, and rules for monastic life. This volume offers learned yet accessible studies of some of the most important classical Zen texts, including some that have received little scholarly attention (and many that are accessible only to specialists). Each essay provides historical, literary, and philosophical commentary on a particular text or genre.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780195150674
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication date: 03/25/2004
Pages: 336
Sales rank: 701,939
Product dimensions: 9.62(w) x 6.00(h) x 1.08(d)
Lexile: 1590L (what's this?)

About the Author

Steven Heine is professor of religious studies and history and director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University.
Dale S. Wright is the David B. and Mary H. Gamble Professor of Religious Studies and Asian Studies at Occidental College.

Table of Contents

Abbreviationsix
Contributorsxi
Transliteration and Terminologyxv
Introduction: Canon and Canonicity in the History of the Zen Literary Tradition3
1.Tsung-mi's Zen Prolegomenon: Introduction to an Exemplary Zen Canon11
2.Mazu yulu and the Creation of the Chan Records of Sayings53
3.The Lidai fabao ji (Record of the Dharma-Jewel through the Ages)81
4.The Huang-po Literature107
5.Lineage and Context in the Patriarch's Hall Collection and the Transmission of the Lamp137
6.The Record of Hongzhi and the Recorded Sayings Literature of Song-Dynasty Chan181
7.The Wu-men kuan (J. Mumonkan): The Formation, Propagation, and Characteristics of a Classic Zen Koan Text207
8.The Eihei koroku: The Record of Dogen's Later Period at Eihei-ji Temple245
9.Chanyuan qinggui and Other "Rules of Purity" in Chinese Buddhism275
Index313
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