The Chan monk Qisong (1007-1072), an important figure in Northern Song religious and intellectual history, has garnered relatively little scholarly attention. This book provides a detailed biography with a focus on the influential historical writings he composed to defend Chan claims of a "mind-to-mind transmission" tracing back to the historical Buddha. It places his defense of lineage in the context not only of attacks by the rival Tiantai school but also of the larger backdrop of the development of lineage and patriarchs as sources of authority in Chinese Buddhism. It advances new arguments about these Chinese Buddhist innovations, challenges common assumptions about Chan masters, and offers insights into the interactions of Buddhists, Confucians, and the imperial court during the Song.
目次
Introduction Chinese Buddhism Lineage and Qisong 1 Part One The Genealogy of Lineage 11 Chapter One Buddhist Notions of Succession and Transmission in India and PreChan China 13 Chapter Two The Emergence of Chan Lineage 51 Part Two The Life of Qisong 89 Chapter Three The Life of Qisong 91 Qisongs Composition of the True Lineage Texts and the Campaign for Their Acceptance at Court 131 Part Three Qisong on Lineage and History 167 A Reading of the First Fascicle of the Critical Essay on the True Lineage of the Transmission of the Dharma 169 The Critical Essay Revised and Defended 195 Concluding Remarks 225 Appendix Annotated Translation of the Critical Essay by the Song Śramana Shi Qisong of Dongshan Si in Tengzhou 229 Bibliography 285 Index 299
