Book Description
Chan Buddhism has become paradigmatic of Buddhist spirituality. Known in Japan as Zen and in Korea as Son, it is one of the most strikingly iconoclastic spiritual traditions in the world. This succinct and lively work clearly expresses the meaning of Chan as it developed in China more than a thousand years ago and provides useful insights into the distinctive aims and forms of practice associated with the tradition, including its emphasis on the unity of wisdom and practice; the reality of "sudden awakening"; the importance of meditation; the use of "shock tactics"; the centrality of the teacher-student relationship; and the celebration of enlightenment narratives, or koans.

Unlike many scholarly studies, which offer detailed perspectives on historical development, or guides for personal practice written by contemporary Buddhist teachers, this volume takes a middle path between these two approaches, weaving together both history and insight to convey to the general reader the conditions, energy, and creativity that characterize Chan. Following a survey of the birth and development of Chan, its practices and spirituality are fleshed out through stories and teachings drawn from the lives of four masters: Bodhidharma, Huineng, Mazu, and Linji. Finally, the meaning of Chan as a living spiritual tradition is addressed through a philosophical reading of its practice as the realization of wisdom, attentive mastery, and moral clarity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not for the novice or historically challenged!
I should start by saying that I am not, clearly, an expert on Chan, Zen, or Buddhism. As a lay reader, my main area of interest is history, which is to say, I am exceedingly interested in the cultural mileau in which Buddhist schools developed. That said, I have to admit that the first time I read this book (about one year ago) I was, like the most recent reviewer, exceedingly disappointed. To be honest, I found that Prof. Hershock too often attributed the growth or decline of certain Buddhist schools to the socio-political atmosphere of dynasties in power at the time without adequately explaining why.

Further, Prof. Hershock's tone and writing style came off as cold and a tad snobby. You see, Prof. Hershock's fine effort does, in fact, read like a dry as dust thesis paper (at times) written for a college philosophy course, which is not bad in and of itself, but there does seem to be a hint of condescention here and there. That is a minor flaw, I admit, but every now again he alludes to his own Buddhist practice, as if that had some kind of connection to the task at hand. To be fair, it is tough to combine the wonderfully blithe spiritual impulse and passion of Buddhism with History, but that is what Herschock tried (but failed to, in my opinion) deliver.

However, I returned to this book after reading copious texts on Chinese and Indian history. With a second reading, then, I was able to pick up on many fascinating connections that I had missed (out of ignorance, I know) the first time, such as this nugget about the rise of Buddhism in India: "The contemplative and ascetic practices undertaken by these strivers toward spiritual freedom may in part represent a resurgence of indigenous traditions from pre-Aryan India." WOW! This book needs a slow read, I think, which is, after all, the point of Zen - that is, concentration on the task at hand (I have a bad habit of zipping through books too quickly).

Thus, I would recommend this book to readers with some reasonably detailed knowledge of Indian and Chinese history (obvious, I know), as the the strength of this text is the clarity in which Pro. Hershock articulates key points, e.g., the "middle path" of Buddhism between Confucianism and Taoism.

Finally, I will say that if you have a good knowledge of Buddhism or Asian history, this book is a great choice. For those readers who are just dipping their big toe into the sea of Buddhist thought and history, I might look elsewhere, such as Heinrich Dumoulin's well-received history of Zen Buddhism.

A very biased book, not an objective history
I originally bought this book because of the above review and because I am finishing a college degree in a Prior Learning experience program. Because I spent 6 years as a Zen buddhist monk I am writing huge essays on my learning for credit. So here I am reading several books on the history of Buddhism trying to put together a history based on several sources. I am not writing my own book, but an essay. I buy this book under the impression that it would contain an in depth history of chan buddhism, instead I find its not written by a scholar but reads like a college thesis paper written by someone with a huge cultural chip on their shoulder. Skip the introduction , do yourself a favor on that one if you buy this book. Sure, there is some history in the book but 50% of the book is really just really poorly written personal philosophy. Philosophical drivel asone of my Zen teachers would say. The book is history interwoven with the authors personal beliefs about what buddhism represents in a cultural anthropological view. But its as if Peter Hershock thinks he's a Dharma master.
If you want a book on Buddhist philosophy then buy one on that,If your looking for a book on Buddhist history then buy one for that. Thisbook attempts to be both but is not. One of the highlights for me was reading the authors explanation of how and why Indians cremate their dead. As I spent many months in India and weeks in Varanasi I have witnessed the burning ghats where people are cremated 24 hours a day. If you've been to India and seen this, when you come to this part in the book you'll know this author has no idea what hes talking about and has never seen it with his own eyes. Not a useful book in any form. No philosophical gnosis and at the same time no evidence of strong intellectual mastery over the history of Buddhism. Try Ayya Khema if you want real Buddhist dharma, John Snelllings Buddhist Handbook if you want something more accurate and scholarly than the complete idiots guide but just as easy to read. If youwant serious history of Chan try Heinrich Dumoulin or Noble Reat or learn
Japanese, chinese and Sanskrit.

Exquisite understanding of the heart of Chan
Without picking or choosing, how to review this book?

There's much helpful history here.Did you know that in one Chinese Buddhist university, Nalanda, there were at least 10,000 students and 2,000 faculty in residence by the 7th century. That in 707 as much as 80% of the total wealth of the Chinese empire may have belonged to Buddhist organizations and, as such, been untaxed? That in the 8th century, 1 out of 85 Chinese were either a Buddhist monk or nun? That between 755 and 764 A.D. two-thirds of all Chinese either died or were missing (missing to where?). That it was the persecutions of Buddhists that led to Chan's special place as a surviving Buddhist teaching, because it depended much less than on Buddhist teachings on the texts that were to a large extent destroyed during the persecutions.

There's much helpful insight from Hershock into the relevance of Chan to Buddhist practitioners then and now. That willful control would only lead to further need to control. That the positive qualities of a Buddha don't rise above the ordinary world. That moral clarity is important but cannot be contained in rules but instead requires skillful improvisation. That compassionate engagement is more important than finding any correct posture. That teachers have nothing to teach and students nothing to learn. That without complete confidence in yourself, you will proceed in confusion. That there is no time to step back to consider because life is moving ahead too quickly. That we must somehow, as a famous koan said, stop picking and choosing.That we need not to waste energy because we need it to have complete presence. And more. Where did Hershock acquire so much wisdom? Undoubtedly in good measure from his study of Chan and from his own Buddhist practice but not every Buddhist or scholar has so much to offer.
... Read more

Book Description
This is an inspiring guide to the practice of Chan (Chinese Zen) in the words of four great masters of that tradition. It includes teachings from contemporary masters Xuyun and Sheng Yen, and from Jiexian and Boshan of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Though the texts were written over a period of hundreds of years, they are all remarkably lucid and are perfect for beginners as well as more advanced practitioners today. All the main points of spiritual practice are covered: philosophical foundations, methods, approaches to problems and obstacles—all aimed at helping the student attain the way to enlightenment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent, practical guide for helping with Zen practice
I must have good "karmic roots" to have found this book. It is an excellent guide to help with Chan (Chinese Zen) practice.

I was already aware of how exceptional Master Sheng-yen is as a teacher, having read his books
Faith in Mind: A Commentary on Seng Ts'an's Classic
and
There Is No Suffering: A Commentary on the Heart Sutra
It was on the strength of these two books that I ordered "Attaining the Way", but I still didn't expect anything this helpful. I completed my first reading of this book a month ago and it has been helping me with my practice.

I found "Faith in Mind" more than a decade ago, sometime after I began my Buddhist (and Zen) practice. It is quite impressive but it does not go into details about Chan practice whereas in the section of this book by Master Sheng Yen (also entitled "Attaining the Way"), he provides considerable help in both Chan concepts and methods of practice. As he says, concepts and methods are the "twin pillars" that Chan relies on, without both which "your practice with lack a firm foundation". He provides help with both in his section of this book.

The book also includes sections by other Chan masters:
1) "Exhortations on Investigating Chan" by Master Boshan (1575-ca.
1630)
2) "Discourse on Chan Teaching" from the records of Master
Yuanyun Jiexian (1610-1672)
and
3) "The Essentials of Chan Practice" by Master Xuyun (1839-1959)

None of these works are "fillers" although Master Sheng-yen's section is certainly useful in itself. But so are the others. Master Yuanyun Jiexian's section, however, is addressed to teachers of Chan, so although it was (and will be) of use to me, it seemed advanced and answering many issues that have not become pertinent for me yet. All of these works emphasize and are informative about the role of the "doubt sensation" for Chan practice and the use of the huatou (the Chan method that uses a "baffling question" such as "Who is reciting the Buddha's name?" with the intent of arousing the doubt sensation). As helpful as zazen (meditative sitting), also known as silent illumination, has been to me, I'm finding a benefit in mixing in other methods. This book was the first that led me to strongly appreciate the possible value of either the use of koans or huatous.

Master Sheng-yen's teachings on such subjects as impermanence, faith, relaxation, silent illumination ("just sitting"), the expressing of gratitude and how to regard enlightenment are among those also included in his section. Unlike other Zen teachers such as Shunryu Suzuki
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
who I found difficult to follow, at times paradoxical as many Zen teachers can be, I find Master Sheng-yen to be surprising clear on a subject whose attainment can be said to perhaps "take lifetimes".
Similarly, with this book I feel I am just now beginning to deepen my practice in a way I had not from traditionally esteemed books that focused on concepts or lacked guidance on practice such as
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch,
Master Dogen's Shobogenzo, Book 1,
Bankei Zen: Translations from the Record of Bankei,
or a koan collection such as
Gateless Barrier: Zen Comments on the Mumonkan.
All of these works, of formidable reputation, despite how inspiring they can be for me, have overwhelmed me. But "Attaining the Way", especially Master Sheng-yen's section, seems accessible and I will keep using his advice.
... Read more

Book Description
Under the leadership of Mazu Daoyi (709-788) and his numerous disciples, the Hongzhou School emerged as the dominant tradition of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in China during the middle part of the Tang dynasty(618-907). Mario Poceski offers a systematic examination of the Hongzhou School's momentous growth and rise to preeminence as the bearer of Chan orthodoxy, and analyzes its doctrines against the backdrop of the intellectual and religious milieus of Tang China. Poceski demonstrates that the Hongzhou School represented the first emergence of an empire-wide Chan tradition that had strongholds throughout China and replaced the various fragmented Schools of early Chan with an inclusive orthodoxy.Poceski's study is based on the earliest strata of permanent sources, rather than on the later apocryphal "encounter dialogue" stories regularly used to construe widely-accepted but historically unwarranted interpretations about the nature of Chan in the Tang dynasty. He challenges the traditional and popularly-accepted view of the Hongzhou School as a revolutionary movement that rejected mainstream mores and teachings, charting a new path for Chan's independent growth as a unique Buddhist tradition. This view, he argues, rests on a misreading of key elements of the Hongzhou School's history.Rather than acting as an unorthodox movement, the Hongzhou School's success was actually based largely on its ability to mediate tensions between traditionalist and iconoclastic tendencies. Going beyond conventional romanticized interpretations that highlight the radical character of the Hongzhou School, Poceski shows that there was much greater continuity between early and classical Chan-and between the Hongzhou School and the rest of Tang Buddhism-than previously thought. ... Read more

Book Description
A comprehensive study of the Hongzhou school of Chan Buddhism, long regarded as the Golden Age of this tradition, using many previously ignored texts, including stele inscriptions. ... Read more

Book Description
As a well-known scholar and meditation master—His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama called him “extremely modest, a true spiritual practitioner of deep and broad learning”—Sheng Yen is uniquely qualified to guide Western seekers into the world of contemporary Chinese Buddhism. Written while the author was secluded in solitary retreat in southern Taiwan, Orthodox Chinese Buddhism provides a wealth of theory and simple, clear guidelines for practicing this increasingly popular form of spirituality. One of the most influential Buddhist books in the Chinese language, the book explores a wide range of subjects, from distinguishing core teachings from outdated cultural norms to bridging the gap between Western and Chinese traditions. In the process, it addresses such questions as “To what extent should Buddhism be Westernized to fit new cultural conditions?” and “Does Westernization necessarily lead to ‘a dumbing down’ of Buddhism?” In addition to the translation of the complete original text, this edition includes new annotations, appendixes, and a glossary designed for the Western reader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Notmuch about Chan Buddhism
Although Sheng Yen is a Chan Master and has many excellent books teaching Chan meditation, this book, as the name suggests, is not focused on Chan. It also does not seem to offer much to anyone already familiar with Buddhism in any form, particularly Mahayana Buddhism. The questions that Sheng Yen answers seem to me to be ones that might occur to anyone reasonably familiar with popular Buddhism, as might the gist of the answers: although Sheng Yen's answers are more elaborate they too often veer into the speculative or the supernatural.

If you are not familiar with any form of Buddhism, I'd recommend skipping this book and looking for a primer on Buddhism: Sheng Yen's own There Is No Suffering: A Commentary on the Heart Sutra would be a good place to start. If you know something about Buddhism but want to begin learning about Chinese Buddhism, Tom Lowenstein's The Vision of the Buddha (Living Wisdom) does have a section on Chinese Buddhism, including Chan, and provides an excellent overview of Buddhism.

For Sheng Yen's own works, I would recommend for a thorough teaching on Chan meditation Hoofprint of the Ox: Principles of the Chan Buddhist Path as Taught by a Modern Chinese Master and for a less thorough but, practically speaking, probably sufficient and perhaps better focused teaching Attaining the Way: A Guide to the Practice of Chan Buddhism, especially the chapter by Sheng Yen himself.
... Read more

Book Description
The essays in this volume, by some of the best scholars in the field, attempt to replace the Chan and Zen tradition in their ritual and cultural contexts, looking at various aspects heretofore largely (and unduly) ignored. ... Read more

Book Description
The Chan (Zen in Japanese) school began when, in seventh-century China, a small religious community gathered around a Buddhist monk named Hongren. Over the centuries, Chan Buddhism grew from an obscure movement to an officially recognized and eventually dominant form of Buddhism in China and throughout East Asia.It has reached international popularity, its teachings disseminated across cultures far and wide. In Monks, Rulers, and Literati, Albert Welter presents, for the first time in a comprehensive fashion in a Western work, the story of the rise of Chan, a story which has been obscured by myths about Zen. Zen apologists in the twentieth century, Welter argues, sold the world on the story of Zen as a transcendental spiritualism untainted by political and institutional involvements. In fact, Welter shows that the opposite is true: relationships between Chan monks and political rulers were crucial to Chan's success. The book concentrates on an important but neglected period of Chan history, the 10th and 11th centuries, when monks and rulers created the so-called Chan "golden age" and the classic principles of Chan identity.Placing Chan's ascendancy into historical context, Welter analyzes the social and political factors that facilitated Chan's success as a movement.He then examines how this success was represented in the Chan narrative and the aims of those who shaped it. Monks, Rulers, and Literati recovers a critical period of Zen's past, deepening our understanding of how the movement came to flourish. Welter's groundbreaking work is not only the most comprehensive history of the dominant strand of East Asian Buddhism, but also an important corrective to many of the stereotypes about Zen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Scientific historical scholarship comes to Zen studies
It was bound to happen. Just as studies of the New Testament based on scientific historical scholarship transformed the field of Bible studies, so now it is transforming Zen studies. The same kind of critical scholarship that can be seen in Elaine Pagels' The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics to help understand how the construction ofNew Testament Gospel texts were shaped by historical events in the years following the death of Jesus has now been used to illuminate the rise of Chan Buddhism.

This is a outsider approach to Chan Buddhist history as opposed to the insider approach used by Heinrich Duomoulin in Zen Buddhism: A History : India and ChinaWith a New Supplement on the Northern School of Chinese Zen (Nanzan Studies in Religion and Culture). It doesn't blindly accept what the Zen texts say but reviews them in light of other historical information. In doing so, it suggests possible motives for what is written.

Welter worked with historical documents heavily including the Chan transmission records. He looked at connections between Chan Buddhist leaders and Chinese political leaders, who provided key support to the Chan Buddhists. He shows how in the time from the Tang to the Song dynasty, Chan was able to gain dominance in China by presenting itself as iconoclastic, spontaneous and not dependent on doctrine and texts, all the while working closely with Chinese political leaders as it sold its story via the careful construction of its transmission records. Basing its appeal heavily on dharma transmissions, Chan tweaked history so as to construct first multi-lineage tranmissions which, over time, were reduced to a single lineage as the Linji school gained dominance. The prominance of Northern Chan Buddhism was challenged sucessfully by the Southern School, as documented by the Southern School in the The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. Records of transmission became a tool within lineage to pass control from one master to another.

During the Song Dynansty, Chan was able to present itself as a new kind of Chinese Buddhism, free of the perceived failure of Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty. While claiming to be free of reliance on text, it relied heavily on transmission records. The koan collections (some major ones are The Blue Cliff Record, No Barrier: Unlocking the Zen Koan - A New Translation of the Zen Classic "Wumenguan" (Mumonkan) and The Book of Serenity: One Hundred Zen Dialogues) that derived from these records were a unique literary production that seemed, unlike that of other Buddhist schools, somehow free of doctrine and narration ... and above all seemed spontaneous. Actually, as the historical records Welter examines reveals, they derived from considerable institutional and political influences. Chan's status as a "separate practice outside the teachings" was a creative solution to unify Chan branches which otherwise, like other Buddhist schools, might have appeared as just so many variations requiring a resort to the "time-honored" Buddhist appeal to "skillful means" to pull together. Although carefully constructed, stories of iconoclastic practices including beating and shouting were ideally suited to appeal to the religious longings of a Chinese elite increasingly caught up in bureaucratic activity.

What then of enlightenment? Was it simply a way of designating the passage of authority from one Buddhist leader to another? Such a suspicion might indeed explain the puzzling instant moments of awakening found in the transmission records. Like the Christian story of a physical resurrection, Chan stories of enlightenment might be just that, stories less intended to awaken an individual Chan practitioner than to pass control from one leader of a monastery to another, monasteries that depended on government support.

Just as the application of scientific scholarship to Christianity has enriched our understanding of how human beings construct and find meaning in a religion, so hopefully its application to Chan Buddhism will free us of misguided submission to false authority and the manipulation of "enlightenment" so that we may find the real value in Chan we may have otherwise overlooked. Ironically, as Welter points out, Chan may not have survived were it not for its political entanglements.

With eyes open, Chan practice still seems powerful, for which try Sheng Yen's Hoofprint of the Ox: Principles of the Chan Buddhist Path as Taught by a Modern Chinese Master.

... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

re: surpassed long ago
Although it is true that McRae produced an excellent work on early Chan, the decided lack of literature on the subject of pre-Hui neng Chan/Zen makes anything quite welcome. However Faure is unquestionably one of the best in the field, and, unlike McRae, who is "dry", Faure gives valuable insight in an entertaining and informative manner (not an easy task given the acedemic quality of the book). As an aspiring academic in the field of early Chan myself, I have found this book to be profoundly helpfull, and would recommend anyone interested in the subject to read both Faure and McRae.

surpassed long ago
I think that someone must have thought "Lets take this old thesis, dress it up, and maybe we can make some money". There is really no reason for this book to exist. Almost all of the ideas and topics in this book (and more) are presented in much more depth in John R. McRae's "The Northern School and the Formation of Early Ch'an Buddhism". In the acknowledgements, the author seems to describe his book as a phase in the historical progression of his thought. While admitting there is considerable overlap between his book and John McRae's, the author says "Unfortunately I was unable to rework my entire book to take into account all of the new data contributed by McRae. I only hope that by tossing this piece into the hopper of Chan history I may provide elements for some future synthesis." So basically, he just reprinted an old, outdated piece of research!? If you're interested in the Northern school of Chan, take your money and check out "The Northern School and the Formation of Early Ch'an Buddhism". It's a bit dry, but it is by far the best book on the topic. ... Read more

Book Description
As the first systematic attempt to probe the linguistic strategies of Daoist Zhuangzi and Chan Buddhism, this book investigates three areas: deconstructive strategy, liminology of language, and indirect original texts, placing them strictly within soteriological contexts.Whilst focusing on language use, the study also reveals some important truths about these two traditions and challenges many conventional understandings of them.Responding to recent critiques of Daoist and Chan Buddhist thought, it brings these two traditions into a constructive dialogue with contemporary philosophical reflection.It discovers Zhuangzian and Chan perspectives and sheds light on issues such as the relationship between philosophy and non-philosophy, de-reification of words, relativizing the limit of language, structure of indirect communication, and use of paradox, tautology and poetic language. ... Read more

Product Description
264 Page Softcover. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Inspiring, beyond words
Sister Chan Kong is truly a living bodhisattva.Her selflessness, generosity, and meritous actions shine through the words of her autobiography.In adversity, she tirelessly sought to improve the conditions of others and ease their suffering.The book left me wanting to know more of her life.Each picture that I have been able to find of her is a face of serenity, peace, and calm.I have a greater understanding of the suffering of the Vietnamese people.

Satisfactory
I ordered the book for a class and it came on time and in good shape. ... Read more

Book Description
Exploring key concepts and metaphors, Bernard Faure guides readers to an appreciation of some of the more elusive aspects of the Chinese traditions of Chan Buddhism and Japanese Zen. Faure focuses on Chan's insistence on "immediacy"--its denial of all traditional meditations, including scripture, ritual, good works--and yet shows how these mediations have always been present in Chan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Perhaps, just rhetoric!
Despite the praise heaped on this text, I can't help feeling that Bernard Faure has been constructing the 'straw men' other readers have spotted. It is by no means certain that the Ch'an (Zen) tradition has functioned as Faure suggests. Why, for instance, set up the 'anti-scriptural'argument - only to concede - on proper investigation, that it is a myth? There are enough commentaries - on the sutras, by Zen monks, to make this sort of thing seem pointless. Sorry, but lets place trust in those deluded masters of old - and stay unenlightened, Faure style.

wish I could get my money back
I had seen this book cited in many other books and so was expecting something useful. Man, was I disappointed. This book seemed to be written from an academic perspective of deconstructionism, of trying to make a name for yourself by upsetting the existing order, and by blowing things out of proportion and presenting them as great problems to be exposed, i.e. "straw men". For anyone interested in the genuine teachings and practice, or even historical developments and research, there are a lot of better books.

A brilliant deconstruction, this book reshapes Zen studies.
After reading the only existing review of this book, I felt the need to offer a counter-view. From the perspective of a scholar, this book fundamentally reshaped Chan/Zen studies. But from the perspective of apractitioner it also reshapes our views. Faure forces us to rethink thecherished illusions of Zen. Whether scholar or practitioner, we had besttake up the challenge. It is tough going, but it is work which we all mustdo to be worthy of the tradition we study.

This book is riddled with arbitrary misinterpretations.
This book will recommend itself to those who believe that a run-of-the-mill contemporary college professor can have a deeper insight into what the Zen people were doing than they had themselves, and to thosewho believe that deconstructionism is more sophisticated than the Buddhistperspective on mind found in such works as the Avatamsaka Sutra and theLinji Lu. ... Read more

Book Description
Enlightenment in Dispute is the first comprehensive study of the revival of Chan Buddhism in seventeenth-century China. Focusing on the evolution of a series of controversies about Chan enlightenment, Jiang Wu describes the process by which Chan reemerged as the most prominent Buddhist establishment of the time.He argues that the revival of Chan Buddhism depended upon reinventions of previous Chan ideals, which had been largely lost after the Song dynasty.Wu investigates the development of Chan Buddhism in the seventeenth century through the lens of a series of controversies involving such issues as correct practice and questions of lineage and lines of transmission.Through them, he shows how the Chan revival reshaped Chinese Buddhism in late imperial China and resonates in modern Chinese Buddhism. Situating the controversies and the rise of Chan Buddhism in the historical background of the Ming-Qing transition, Wu points out that the rise and fall of Chan Buddhism was conditioned by the transformation of Chinese culture and society. By examining the role of textual practice and the implication of dharma transmission in rebuilding Chan institutions, Wu argues that the Chan revival was actively coordinated to coincide with the transformation of Chinese culture and society. His study concludes by bringing the Chan revival to a larger historical context and reflecting on its legacies, ultimately establishing a general pattern of past Buddhist revivals. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Journal of the American Oriental Society, published by American Oriental Society on January 1, 1996. The length of the article is 6574 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: Bernard Faure's encyclopedic study of the rhetoric of immediacy and the reality of mediation in the Chan/Zen tradition suffers from lapses and its own rhetorical excesses, but succeeds in conveying the "essential undecidability of Chan," as manifested in deeds and words through the centuries in China and Japan.

Citation Details
Title: The Rhetoric of Immediacy: A Cultural Critique of Chan/Zen Buddhism. (book reviews)
Author: Stuart Sargent
Publication: The Journal of the American Oriental Society (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1996
Publisher: American Oriental Society
Volume: v116Issue: n1Page: p77(8)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
The Origins of Buddhist Monastic Codes in China contains the first complete translation of China's earliest and most influential monastic code. The twelfth-century text Chanyuan qinggui (Rules of Purity for the Chan Monastery) provides us with a wealth of fascinating detail on all aspects of life in public Buddhist monasteries during the Sung (960-1279), including specific guidelines for itinerant monks, protocol for attending retreats, and details for requesting an abbot's instruction. A significant portion of the text is devoted to the administrative hierarchy within the monastery and the interaction of monks of various rank at a range of functions such as tea ceremonies, chanting rituals, and monastic auctions.

Part One consists of Yifa's overview of the development of monastic regulations in Chinese Buddhist history, a biography of the text's author, and an analysis of the social and cultural context of premodern Chinese Buddhist monasticism. Of particular importance are the interconnections made between Chan traditions and the dual heritages of Chinese culture and Indian Buddhist Vinaya. Although much of the text's source material is traced directly to the Vinayas and the works of the Vinaya advocate Daoan (312-385) and the Lu master Daoxuan (596-667), the Chanyuan qinggui includes elements foreign to the original Vinaya texts --- elements incorporated from Chinese governmental policies and traditional Chinese etiquette. Following the translator's overview is a complete translation of the text, extensively annotated. Scholars of East Asian Buddhism and those seeking information on Buddhist institutional norms, as well as Buddhist practitioners, will find this work an essential source. ... Read more