禪運與世緣：唐宋世變下的禪宗及其開展（740-1100）=Chan Buddhism in the Tang-Sung Transition: With Emphasis on Interactions between Environmental Changes and Its Development (740-1100)
This dissertation clarifies how Chan Buddhism became the leading religious, intellectual, and cultural force during the Tang-Song transition. Previous scholarship asserts that Chan Buddhism survived in the Huichang Persecution 會昌法難 (842-846) and the political turmoil in the tenth century because the spread of Chan Buddhism less relied on scriptures. Chan Buddhism thus gained religious success in the subsequent centuries. By contrast, some other scholars contend that Chan Buddhism was only popular among southern region until Emperor Renzong of the Song 宋仁宗(r.1022- 1063) summoned the eminent Chan monk Dajue Huailian 大覺懷璉 (1010-1090) to the capital of Kaifeng. Afterward, Chan Buddhism became well-known among the literati in the north. The two conflicting opinions on the rise of Chan Buddhism lead me to speculate when and how Chan Buddhism rose to prominence.
The dissertation starts from the rise of the Song dynasty Chan’s predecessor, the chan faction created by Mazu Daoyi 馬祖道一 (709-788) and Shitou Xiqian 石頭希遷 (701-791), also called “the New Southern school” 新南宗 by some scholars, and chronologically examines the geographical distribution and development of this faction from mid-8th century to 12th century. The outcome shows that, although the New Southern school had successfully spread from its southern cradle to the northern China between 8th and 9th centuries, it had failed to sustain the achievement in following decades. After Huichang Persecution, the New Southern school retreat to its southern stronghold; however, due to bearing the lesser damage than other Chan schools, it almost monopolized the transmission of Chan Buddhism. The southern-oriented distribution was further intensified between the end of Tang and the beginning of Song dynasties, for many southern regimes in this period strongly supported Chan monks and therefore brought out several huge Chan Buddhist sangha.
The south-oriented distribution of Chan Buddhism remained very much the same even after the reunification of China in 980. Evidence shows that although Chan Buddhism prospered across the south of China, the new Song government had little interest in it. Therefore, Chan Buddhism barely obtained opportunities to expand. This situation changed in the early 11th century when monks from the Yunmen and Linji lineages successfully attracted the attention of scholar-officials, the newly-emerged cultural elites. This development made Chan Buddhism become more famous in the statewide intellectuals, and even intrigued Emperor Renzong of Song, who was intrigued by this intellectual trend, to summon Daju Huailian to capital Kaifeng. The arrival of Daju Huailian signaled the widespread acceptance of Chan Buddhism among elite men in the late 11th century. Chan Buddhism eventually became a leading force during the 11th and 12th centuries.
