轉化; 七~八世紀; 南宗禪; 初期禪宗典籍; 禪風發展; 初唐社會與文化; transformation; 7th to 8th Century; Southern Ch’an School; Early Ch’an School texts; Development of the Ch’an style; society and culture in Early Tang dynasty
In the development of the history of thoughts, the process is usually deemed more valuable than the result. A study on Chinese Ch’an School’s process of ‘transformation’ is a rather complex and challenging one. Consequently, the reward attained is far beyond than imagined in this research. This research paper is centered around 7th to 8th Century Tang dynasty, an era of high tolerance for culture; and on Southern Ch’an School, one of the most unique schools in China, as the focus of study. Through the study of Ch’an texts and thoughts, the development of Southern Ch’an School during 7th to 8th century is grasped, and several skillful or expedient means uncovered. Furthermore, the paper aims to understand how Buddhism blended into the daily life and culture throughout its development in China; and also how the Chinese society influenced Buddhism. 7th and 8th Century Southern Ch’an School was a crucial period for the transformation of Ch’an from the Indian Style into Chinese Ch’an. A discovery from this research includes a pursuit for private works to acquire recognition by the Court, and the maturing and perfecting of their writing formats. In terms of the transformation of style, there were changes from the early passive and other-worldly approach to the later active and this worldly approach, thereby developing into a diversified style of Ch’an practices, and also one that emphasizes the equal Buddha-nature possessed by all. This shows that the spread of Ch’an in China blended with the local custom as time went by, and had a rather unique style. The process of ‘transformation’ can be quite long, difficult and arduous; and it is not something that can be achieved by a single individual or era. Various factors need to be present, political, economical and cultural factors in particular. Through out this process, the Ch’an practitioners were confronted with the transformation of conflict, and gradually reached out to society and served the public. Thus, this shows that the Southern Ch’an School’s development during the 7th and 8th Century was one that adapted to social needs and became humanized.
