Literary Chan – Song dynasty (c. 960–1300) Chan Buddhism

1 literary chan – song dynasty (c. 960–1300)

1.1 5 houses of chan
1.2 rise of linji-school
1.3 dahui zonggao
1.4 koan-system
1.5 silent illumination

literary chan – song dynasty (c. 960–1300)

the 5 dynasties , ten kingdoms period followed song dynasty, established strong central government. during song dynasty, chan (禪) used government strengthen control on country, , chan grew become largest sect in chinese buddhism. ideal picture of chan of tang period produced, served legacy of newly acquired status:

in song dynasty (960–1279), chinese chan buddhism reached of climax paradigm. climax paradigm , mean conceptual configuration chan described in written texts, practiced adherents, , extension understood religious entity chinese population whole ... previous events in chan interpreted through lens of song dynasty configuration, , subsequent developments in china, korea, japan, , vietnam evaluated, occurred, against known of standards established during song. romanticized image of great tang dynasty masters – mazu , students, caoshan, dongshan, , students, , of course linji – generated song dynasty authors , functioned within song dynasty texts. similarly, subsequent figures throughout east asia – hakuin ekaku (1685–1769), famous reviver of japanese rinzai, best example – evoke examples of bodhidharma, sixth patriarch huineng, mazu, , others, through conceptual filter of song-dynasty chan.

five houses of chan

during song 5 houses (ch. 五家) of chan, or 5 schools , recognized. these not regarded schools or sects , based on various chan-genealogies. historically have come understood schools .

the 5 houses of chan are:

guiyang school (潙仰宗), named after masters guishan lingyou (771–854) , yangshan huiji (813–890), dharma-descendants of mazu daoyi;
linji school (臨濟宗), named after master linji yixuan (died 866), lineage came traced mazu, establishing him archetypal iconoclastic chan-master;
caodong school (曹洞宗), named after masters dongshan liangjie (807–869) , caoshan benji (840–901);
yunmen school (雲門宗), named after master yunmen wenyan (died 949), student of xuefeng yicun (822–908), lineage traced shitou xiqian:
fayan school (法眼宗), named after master fayan wenyi (885–958), grand-student of xuefeng yicun.

rise of linji-school

the linji-school became dominant school within chan, due support literati , court. before song dynasty, linji-school rather obscure, , little known history. first mention of linji in zutang ji, compiled in 952, 86 years after linji s death. zutang ji pictures xuefeng yicun lineage heir legacy of mazu , hongzhou-school.

according welter, real founder of linji-school shoushan (or baoying) shengnian (首山省念) (926–993), fourth generation dharma-heir of linji. tiansheng guangdeng lu (天聖廣燈錄), tiansheng era expanded lamp record , compiled official li zunxu (李遵勗) (988–1038) confirms status of shoushan shengnian, pictures linji major chan patriarch , heir mazu, displacing prominence of fayan-lineage. established slogan of special transmission outside teaching , supporting linji-school claim of chan separate , superior other buddhist teachings .

dahui zonggao

over course of song dynasty (960–1279), guiyang, fayan, , yunmen schools gradually absorbed linji. song chan dominated linji school of dahui zonggao, in turn became affiliated imperial court:

... the ta-hui school of sung chan had become closely associated sung court, high officials, , literati [...] establishment of wu-shan (gozan) system during southern sung school of ta-hui took precedence. chinese bureaucratic system entered chan temples throughout country, , highly organized system of temple rank , administration developed.

the gozan system system of state-controlled temples, established song government in provinces.

koan-system

the teaching styles , words of classical masters recorded in so-called encounter dialogues . snippets of these encounter dialogues collected in texts blue cliff record (1125) of yuanwu, gateless gate (1228) of wumen, both of linji lineage, , book of equanimity (1223) wansong xingxiu of caodong lineage.

these texts became classic gōng àn cases, verse , prose commentaries, crystallized systematized gōng àn (koan) practice. according miura , sasaki, [i]t during lifetime of yüan-wu s successor, dahui zonggao (大慧宗杲; 1089–1163) koan chan entered determinative stage. gōng àn practice prevalent in linji school, yuanwu , dahui belonged, employed on more limited basis caodong school.

the recorded encounter dialogues, , koan collections derived genre, mark shift solitary practice interaction between master , student:

the essence of enlightenment came identified interaction between masters , students. whatever insight dhyana might bring, verification interpersonal. in effect, enlightenment came understood not insight, way of acting in world other people

this mutual enquiry of meaning of encounters of masters , students of past gave students role model:

one looked @ enlightened activities of 1 s lineal forebears in order understand 1 s own identity [...] taking role of participants , engaging in dialogues instead

koan practice literary practice, styling snippets of encounter-dialogue well-edited stories. arose in interaction educated literati .

there dangers involved in such literary approach, such fixing specific meanings cases. dahui zonggao said have burned woodblocks of blue cliff record, hindrance had become study of chan students

silent illumination

the caodong other school survive song period. main protagonist hung-chih cheng-chueh, contemporary of dahui zonggao. put emphasis on silent illumination , or sitting . approach attacked dahui being mere passivity, , lacking emphasis on gaining insight 1 s true nature. cheng-chueh in turn criticized emphasis on koan study.

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