Anderl: The Northern Buddhism Ambiguity

Building on earlier:

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/g7t5ns/a_collection_from_the_halls_of_the_patriarchs/
   
2. https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/gatr39/zutang_ji_a_whole_page_of_900_era_zen_masters/
3. https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/gcrhbi/the_continuing_beatdown_of_sitting_meditation_via/

Studies in the Language of Zu-tang ji 祖堂集, VOLUME 2: TRANSLATION (and Glossary of Linguistic Terms, Bibliographies, Index), Christoph Anderl

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Zu-tang ji 祖堂集 - Compiled in 952 in the kingdom of Southern Tang (937–975), Zutang ji 祖堂集 is an invaluable source of information about the formative history of the Chan school and the gradual evolution of Chan literature. Long lost and forgotten in China, only to be rediscovered during the early part of the twentieth century among the woodblocks of the Buddhist canon stored at Haein Monastery 海印寺 in Korea, the text represents an outline of earlier Chan “history,” written from a regional perspective. Among the text's prominent features is its inclusion of unique materials not found in other Chan collections.

Anderl doesn't comment on this bizzare passage from a so-called Northern Buddhism text, by Lanzan:

am not attracted to the 'field of blessings' 1661

1661: 'field of blessings' - "A reference to the three treasures: the Buddha, the sangha and dharma; also, one's parents and the poverty-stricken. These are the objects toward which one should direct one's religious practice. - The place where people nurture and develop their meritorious virtues. - The practices which lead to enlightenment. " (see also Nakamura: 1187c•, Foguang: 5852; Zengaku: 1065d). The author of the poem emphasises that he is not interested in the paramount goals of traditional Mahäyäna practice (i.e. becoming a Bodhisattva/Buddha, performing good deeds and thereby amassing good fortune, etc.) and that the Buddha-truth cannot be attained by any artificial effort.

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(Welcome link) ewk link note: This is super interesting, for these reasons:

1. This is supposedly from "Northern Buddhism nei Chan"
2. The lineage is supposedly Shenxiu, Puji, Lanzan
3. Puji died in 739 according to Ferguson's trans. which would mean he gave dharma transmission to Lanzan before Lanzan's 24 birthday... a bit young.
4. If these dates are to be believed, then Shenxiu was to live to 100 years old. My notes on this confusion say:
   • So, Puji was 29 in 811? and Shenxiu was 83? Which would mean that this Shenxiu was born in 727, not the same year as Northern School Shen Hsiu who was born in 706 according to Ferguson.

I wonder how much of Shenxiu's life is historically accurate....

Submitted May 11, 2020 at 01:59AM by ewk https://ift.tt/2WkMV8U