The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature

by Mario Poceski

Overview

The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature explores the growth, makeup, and transformation of Chan (Zen) Buddhist literature in late medieval China. The volume analyzes the earliest extant records about the life, teachings, and legacy of Mazu Daoyi (709-788), the famous leader of the Hongzhou School and one of the principal figures in Chan history. While some of the texts covered are well-known and form a central part of classical Chan (or more broadly Buddhist) literature in China, others have been largely ignored, forgotten, or glossed over until recently. Poceski presents a range of primary materials important for the historical study of Chan Buddhism, some translated for the first time into English or other Western language. He surveys the distinctive features and contents of particular types of texts, and analyzes the forces, milieus, and concerns that shaped key processes of textual production during this period. Although his main focus is on written sources associated with a celebrated Chan tradition that developed and rose to prominence during the Tang era (618-907), Poceski also explores the Five Dynasties (907-960) and Song (960-1279) periods, when many of the best-known Chan collections were compiled. Exploring the Chan School's creative adaptation of classical literary forms and experimentation with novel narrative styles, The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature traces the creation of several distinctive Chan genres that exerted notable influence on the subsequent development of Buddhism in China and the rest of East Asia.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190463755
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/12/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Mario Poceski is an associate professor of Buddhist studies and Chinese religions at the University of Florida. He is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship. His numerous publications include Ordinary Mind as the Way: The Hongzhou School and the Growth of Chan Buddhism (2007), Introducing Chinese Religions (2009), and The Wiley Blackwell Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism (2014).

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements Abbreviations Conventions Introduction Part I: Study of Chan Literature Chapter 1: Mazu's Records and the Study of Chan Literature Chapter 2: Hagiographic Representations of Patriarch Ma Chapter 3: Further Communal Remembrances Chapter 4: Formation of Chan Genres Chapter 5: Four Main Genres Chapter 6: Protracted Makings of Texts and Patriarchs Part II: Translation and Commentary of Mazu's Records Text 1: Mazu's Stele Inscription Text 2: Stone Case Inscription Text 3: Biographical Entry in Zu tang ji Text 4: Excerpts from Zong jing lu Text 5: Biographical Entry in Song gao seng zhuan Text 6: Biographical Entry in Jingde chuan deng lu Text 7: Sermon in Jingde chuan deng lu Appendix: Additional Sources about Mazu Glossary Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

"The comments after each translation provide details and explanation that are undoubtedly helpful for the general reader." — Nathan Woolley, University of Glasgow, Religious Studies Review

"The doctrine of the resurrection of the dead coupled with the immortality of the soul are extant in contemporary practice and belief of Orthodox Judaism. Non-Orthodoxy believes in the immortality of the soul but less in the resurrection of the dead. Questions? Elledge's erudite volume on developing resurrection ideas within early Judaism is a place to start." — Zev Garber, Reading Religion

"Ihe Records of Mazu offers readers access to key primary sources attesting to the historical processes by which Mazu was reimagined by later generations of Chan Buddhists." — Kevin Buckelew, Reading Religion

"This well-crafted and accessible new book by Mario Poceski makes an outstanding contribution to the field of medieval Chinese Buddhist studies in two ways. In Part I Poceski convincingly explores and explains major hagiographic portrayals of Mazu as iconoclast, thaumaturge, and doctrinal teacher, while also breaking new ground by analyzing Chan literary genres formed as part of a community of memory. Part II presents reliable annotated translations of Mazu's biographical materials, encounter dialogues, and transcribed sermons." —Steven Heine, Professor of Religious Studies and History, Florida International University

From the Publisher