John C. Maraldo’s 2021 The Saga of Zen History & the Power of Legend presents a far-reaching and engaging argument against overly fact-based readings of the history of Chan/Zen Buddhism and the positivist search for autonomous historical truths. However, in spite of numerous examples in the context of which his critique of Chan/Zen historicism may be justified, Maraldo effectively forgoes the opportunity to nuance his argument, differentiate his findings, and indicate complexities instead of mere binary opposites. This review article discusses the Saga’s methodological presuppositions and theoretical framings as well as the limitations of its perspective. It contends that alternative viewpoints of addressing Chan/Zen Buddhist history – critically focusing not on fact but, for instance, legend – are well-established both in historical scholarship and the tradition itself. The book’s rhetoric, then, partly produces the very fictions it argues against.
