Monks, Rulers, and Literati

Monks, Rulers, and Literati

Author: Albert Welter

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780195175219

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Over the centuries, Chan Buddhism has grown from an obscure movement to an officially recognised and eventually dominant form of Buddhism in China and East Asia. In this book, the author presents the story of the rise of Chan, a story which has been obscured by myths about Zen.


Book Synopsis Monks, Rulers, and Literati by : Albert Welter

Download or read book Monks, Rulers, and Literati written by Albert Welter and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the centuries, Chan Buddhism has grown from an obscure movement to an officially recognised and eventually dominant form of Buddhism in China and East Asia. In this book, the author presents the story of the rise of Chan, a story which has been obscured by myths about Zen.


Monks, Rulers, and Literati : The Political Ascendancy of Chan Buddhism

Monks, Rulers, and Literati : The Political Ascendancy of Chan Buddhism

Author: Asian Religions University of Winnipeg Albert Welter Professor

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2006-01-11

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 9780199721191

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The Chan (Zen in Japanese) school began when, in seventh-century China, a small religious community gathered around a Buddhist monk named Hongren. Over the centuries, Chan Buddhism grew from an obscure movement to an officially recognized and eventually dominant form of Buddhism in China and throughout East Asia. It has reached international popularity, its teachings disseminated across cultures far and wide. In Monks, Rulers, and Literati, Albert Welter presents, for the first time in a comprehensive fashion in a Western work, the story of the rise of Chan, a story which has been obscured by myths about Zen. Zen apologists in the twentieth century, Welter argues, sold the world on the story of Zen as a transcendental spiritualism untainted by political and institutional involvements. In fact, Welter shows that the opposite is true: relationships between Chan monks and political rulers were crucial to Chan's success. The book concentrates on an important but neglected period of Chan history, the 10th and 11th centuries, when monks and rulers created the so-called Chan "golden age" and the classic principles of Chan identity. Placing Chan's ascendancy into historical context, Welter analyzes the social and political factors that facilitated Chan's success as a movement. He then examines how this success was represented in the Chan narrative and the aims of those who shaped it. Monks, Rulers, and Literati recovers a critical period of Zen's past, deepening our understanding of how the movement came to flourish. Welter's groundbreaking work is not only the most comprehensive history of the dominant strand of East Asian Buddhism, but also an important corrective to many of the stereotypes about Zen.


Book Synopsis Monks, Rulers, and Literati : The Political Ascendancy of Chan Buddhism by : Asian Religions University of Winnipeg Albert Welter Professor

Download or read book Monks, Rulers, and Literati : The Political Ascendancy of Chan Buddhism written by Asian Religions University of Winnipeg Albert Welter Professor and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2006-01-11 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Chan (Zen in Japanese) school began when, in seventh-century China, a small religious community gathered around a Buddhist monk named Hongren. Over the centuries, Chan Buddhism grew from an obscure movement to an officially recognized and eventually dominant form of Buddhism in China and throughout East Asia. It has reached international popularity, its teachings disseminated across cultures far and wide. In Monks, Rulers, and Literati, Albert Welter presents, for the first time in a comprehensive fashion in a Western work, the story of the rise of Chan, a story which has been obscured by myths about Zen. Zen apologists in the twentieth century, Welter argues, sold the world on the story of Zen as a transcendental spiritualism untainted by political and institutional involvements. In fact, Welter shows that the opposite is true: relationships between Chan monks and political rulers were crucial to Chan's success. The book concentrates on an important but neglected period of Chan history, the 10th and 11th centuries, when monks and rulers created the so-called Chan "golden age" and the classic principles of Chan identity. Placing Chan's ascendancy into historical context, Welter analyzes the social and political factors that facilitated Chan's success as a movement. He then examines how this success was represented in the Chan narrative and the aims of those who shaped it. Monks, Rulers, and Literati recovers a critical period of Zen's past, deepening our understanding of how the movement came to flourish. Welter's groundbreaking work is not only the most comprehensive history of the dominant strand of East Asian Buddhism, but also an important corrective to many of the stereotypes about Zen.


Patrons and Patriarchs

Patrons and Patriarchs

Author: Benjamin Brose

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2015-08-31

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0824857240

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Patrons and Patriarchs breaks new ground in the study of clergy-court relations during the tumultuous period that spanned the collapse of the Tang dynasty (618–907) and the consolidation of the Northern Song (960–1127). This era, known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, has typically been characterized as a time of debilitating violence and instability, but it also brought increased economic prosperity, regional development, and political autonomy to southern territories. The book describes how the formation of new states in southeastern China elevated local Buddhist traditions and moved Chan (Zen) monks from the margins to the center of Chinese society. Drawing on biographies, inscriptions, private histories, and government records, it argues that the shift in imperial patronage from a diverse array of Buddhist clerics to members of specific Chan lineages was driven by political, social, and geographical reorientations set in motion by the collapse of the Tang dynasty and the consolidation of regional powers during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. As monastic communities representing diverse arrays of thought, practice, and pedagogy allied with rival political factions, the outcome of power struggles determined which clerical networks assumed positions of power and which doctrines were enshrined as orthodoxy. Rather than view the ascent of Chan monks and their traditions as instances of intellectual hegemony, this book focuses on the larger sociopolitical processes that lifted members of Chan lineages onto the imperial stage. Against the historical backdrop of the tenth century, Patrons and Patriarchs explores the nature and function of Chan lineage systems, the relationships between monastic and lay families, and the place of patronage in establishing identity and authority in monastic movements.


Book Synopsis Patrons and Patriarchs by : Benjamin Brose

Download or read book Patrons and Patriarchs written by Benjamin Brose and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2015-08-31 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Patrons and Patriarchs breaks new ground in the study of clergy-court relations during the tumultuous period that spanned the collapse of the Tang dynasty (618–907) and the consolidation of the Northern Song (960–1127). This era, known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, has typically been characterized as a time of debilitating violence and instability, but it also brought increased economic prosperity, regional development, and political autonomy to southern territories. The book describes how the formation of new states in southeastern China elevated local Buddhist traditions and moved Chan (Zen) monks from the margins to the center of Chinese society. Drawing on biographies, inscriptions, private histories, and government records, it argues that the shift in imperial patronage from a diverse array of Buddhist clerics to members of specific Chan lineages was driven by political, social, and geographical reorientations set in motion by the collapse of the Tang dynasty and the consolidation of regional powers during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. As monastic communities representing diverse arrays of thought, practice, and pedagogy allied with rival political factions, the outcome of power struggles determined which clerical networks assumed positions of power and which doctrines were enshrined as orthodoxy. Rather than view the ascent of Chan monks and their traditions as instances of intellectual hegemony, this book focuses on the larger sociopolitical processes that lifted members of Chan lineages onto the imperial stage. Against the historical backdrop of the tenth century, Patrons and Patriarchs explores the nature and function of Chan lineage systems, the relationships between monastic and lay families, and the place of patronage in establishing identity and authority in monastic movements.


Enlightenment in Dispute

Enlightenment in Dispute

Author: Jiang Wu

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2011-12

Total Pages: 478

ISBN-13: 0199895562

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Enlightenment in Dispute is the first comprehensive study of the revival of Chan Buddhism in seventeenth-century China. Focusing on the evolution of a series of controversies about Chan enlightenment, Jiang Wu describes the process by which Chan reemerged as the most prominent Buddhist establishment of the time. He investigates the development of Chan Buddhism in the seventeenth century, focusing on controversies involving issues such as correct practice and lines of lineage. In this way, he shows how the Chan revival reshaped Chinese Buddhism in late imperial China. Situating these controversies alongside major events of the fateful Ming-Qing transition, Wu shows how the rise and fall of Chan Buddhism was conditioned by social changes in the seventeenth century.


Book Synopsis Enlightenment in Dispute by : Jiang Wu

Download or read book Enlightenment in Dispute written by Jiang Wu and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-12 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enlightenment in Dispute is the first comprehensive study of the revival of Chan Buddhism in seventeenth-century China. Focusing on the evolution of a series of controversies about Chan enlightenment, Jiang Wu describes the process by which Chan reemerged as the most prominent Buddhist establishment of the time. He investigates the development of Chan Buddhism in the seventeenth century, focusing on controversies involving issues such as correct practice and lines of lineage. In this way, he shows how the Chan revival reshaped Chinese Buddhism in late imperial China. Situating these controversies alongside major events of the fateful Ming-Qing transition, Wu shows how the rise and fall of Chan Buddhism was conditioned by social changes in the seventeenth century.


The Linji Lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy

The Linji Lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy

Author: Albert Welter

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2008-02-28

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 0199887055

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The Linji lu, or Record of Linji, ranks among the most famous and influential texts of the Chan and Zen traditions. Ostensibly containing the teachings of the Tang dynasty figure Linji Yixuan, the text has generally been accepted at face value, as reliable records of the teachings of this historical figure. In this book, Albert Welter offers the first systematic study of the Linji lu in a western language. Welter places the Linji lu in its historical context, showing how the text was manipulated over time by the Linji faction. Rather than recording the teachings of the illustrious patriarch of legend, the text reflects the motivations of Linji-faction descendants in the Song dynasty (960–1279). The story of the Linji lu is not simply the story of one heroic figure, Linji Yixuan, but the story of an entire movement that sought validation through retrospective image making. The success of this effort is seen in Chan's rise to prominence. Drawing on the findings of Japanese scholars, Welter moves beyond the minutiae of textual analysis to place the development of Linji lu within the broader forces shaping the development of the Chinese Records of Sayings literary genre as a whole.


Book Synopsis The Linji Lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy by : Albert Welter

Download or read book The Linji Lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy written by Albert Welter and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008-02-28 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Linji lu, or Record of Linji, ranks among the most famous and influential texts of the Chan and Zen traditions. Ostensibly containing the teachings of the Tang dynasty figure Linji Yixuan, the text has generally been accepted at face value, as reliable records of the teachings of this historical figure. In this book, Albert Welter offers the first systematic study of the Linji lu in a western language. Welter places the Linji lu in its historical context, showing how the text was manipulated over time by the Linji faction. Rather than recording the teachings of the illustrious patriarch of legend, the text reflects the motivations of Linji-faction descendants in the Song dynasty (960–1279). The story of the Linji lu is not simply the story of one heroic figure, Linji Yixuan, but the story of an entire movement that sought validation through retrospective image making. The success of this effort is seen in Chan's rise to prominence. Drawing on the findings of Japanese scholars, Welter moves beyond the minutiae of textual analysis to place the development of Linji lu within the broader forces shaping the development of the Chinese Records of Sayings literary genre as a whole.


The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature

The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature

Author: Mario Poceski

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 0190225750

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The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature explores the historical growth and transformation of Chan (Zen) Buddhist literature in medieval China, focusing especially on the earliest records of Mazu Daoyi (709-788). It presents important primary materials about classical Chan Buddhism, some of them translated for the first time into English.


Book Synopsis The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature by : Mario Poceski

Download or read book The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature written by Mario Poceski and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature explores the historical growth and transformation of Chan (Zen) Buddhist literature in medieval China, focusing especially on the earliest records of Mazu Daoyi (709-788). It presents important primary materials about classical Chan Buddhism, some of them translated for the first time into English.


Yongming Yanshou's Conception of Chan in the Zongjing lu

Yongming Yanshou's Conception of Chan in the Zongjing lu

Author: Albert Welter

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2011-04-26

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 019984240X

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Yongming Yanshou ranks among the great thinkers of the Chinese and East Asian Buddhist traditions, one whose legacy has endured for more than a thousand years. Albert Welter offers new insight into the significance of Yanshou and his major work, the Zongjing lu, by showing their critical role in the contested Buddhist and intellectual territories of the Five Dynasties and early Song dynasty China. Welter gives a comprehensive study of Yanshou's life, showing how Yanshou's Buddhist identity has been and continues to be disputed. He also provides an in-depth examination of the Zongjing lu, connecting it to Chan debates ongoing at the time of its writing. This analysis includes a discussion of the seminal meaning of the term zong as the implicit truth of Chan and Buddhist teaching, and a defining notion of Chan identity. Particularly significant is an analysis of the long underappreciated significance of the Chan fragments in the Zongjing lu, which constitute some of the earliest information about the teachings of Chan's early masters. In light of Yanshou's advocacy of a morally based Chan Buddhist practice, Welter also challenges the way Buddhism, particularly Chan, has frequently been criticized in Neo-Confucianism as amoral and unprincipled. Yongming Yanshou's Conception of Chan in the Zongjing lu concludes with an annotated translation of fascicle one of the Zongjing lu, the first translation of the work into a Western language.


Book Synopsis Yongming Yanshou's Conception of Chan in the Zongjing lu by : Albert Welter

Download or read book Yongming Yanshou's Conception of Chan in the Zongjing lu written by Albert Welter and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-04-26 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Yongming Yanshou ranks among the great thinkers of the Chinese and East Asian Buddhist traditions, one whose legacy has endured for more than a thousand years. Albert Welter offers new insight into the significance of Yanshou and his major work, the Zongjing lu, by showing their critical role in the contested Buddhist and intellectual territories of the Five Dynasties and early Song dynasty China. Welter gives a comprehensive study of Yanshou's life, showing how Yanshou's Buddhist identity has been and continues to be disputed. He also provides an in-depth examination of the Zongjing lu, connecting it to Chan debates ongoing at the time of its writing. This analysis includes a discussion of the seminal meaning of the term zong as the implicit truth of Chan and Buddhist teaching, and a defining notion of Chan identity. Particularly significant is an analysis of the long underappreciated significance of the Chan fragments in the Zongjing lu, which constitute some of the earliest information about the teachings of Chan's early masters. In light of Yanshou's advocacy of a morally based Chan Buddhist practice, Welter also challenges the way Buddhism, particularly Chan, has frequently been criticized in Neo-Confucianism as amoral and unprincipled. Yongming Yanshou's Conception of Chan in the Zongjing lu concludes with an annotated translation of fascicle one of the Zongjing lu, the first translation of the work into a Western language.


The Power of Patriarchs

The Power of Patriarchs

Author: Elizabeth Morrison

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2010-03-25

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 9004190228

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A study of the Northern Song Chan monk Qisong and his writings on Chan lineage, this book offers new arguments about Buddhist patriarchs, challenges assumptions about Chan masters, and provides insight into the interactions of Buddhists and the imperial court.


Book Synopsis The Power of Patriarchs by : Elizabeth Morrison

Download or read book The Power of Patriarchs written by Elizabeth Morrison and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2010-03-25 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study of the Northern Song Chan monk Qisong and his writings on Chan lineage, this book offers new arguments about Buddhist patriarchs, challenges assumptions about Chan masters, and provides insight into the interactions of Buddhists and the imperial court.


The Wiley Blackwell Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism

Author: Mario Poceski

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2014-02-14

Total Pages: 753

ISBN-13: 1118610350

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The Wiley Blackwell Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism combines outstanding contributions covering Buddhism as it developed and is practiced in this region. These newly-commissioned essays provide fresh scholarly perspectives on a wide range of concepts, texts, and practices. Offers a comprehensive and balanced survey of Buddhism within East and Central Asia, from the time of the Buddha through to the present day Provides fresh perspectives on a wide range of concepts, texts, traditions, doctrines, practices, and institutions – on topics spanning gender roles, tantric rituals, and the spread of Zen into Europe Brings together cutting-edge research by an interdisciplinary and international contributor team, including historians, literature scholars, and historians, as well as those from religious studies Presents a panoramic view of the extraordinary richness and variety of local Buddhist expressions and practices within Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Tibetan, cultures


Book Synopsis The Wiley Blackwell Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism by : Mario Poceski

Download or read book The Wiley Blackwell Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism written by Mario Poceski and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-02-14 with total page 753 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Wiley Blackwell Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism combines outstanding contributions covering Buddhism as it developed and is practiced in this region. These newly-commissioned essays provide fresh scholarly perspectives on a wide range of concepts, texts, and practices. Offers a comprehensive and balanced survey of Buddhism within East and Central Asia, from the time of the Buddha through to the present day Provides fresh perspectives on a wide range of concepts, texts, traditions, doctrines, practices, and institutions – on topics spanning gender roles, tantric rituals, and the spread of Zen into Europe Brings together cutting-edge research by an interdisciplinary and international contributor team, including historians, literature scholars, and historians, as well as those from religious studies Presents a panoramic view of the extraordinary richness and variety of local Buddhist expressions and practices within Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Tibetan, cultures


A Tale of Two Stūpas

A Tale of Two Stūpas

Author: Albert Welter

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2022-11-04

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0197606636

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Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, and the surrounding environs have one of the richest Buddhist cultures in China. In A Tale of Two Stupas, Albert Welter tells the story of Hangzhou Buddhism through the conceptions, erections, and resurrections of Yongming Stupa, dedicated to the memory of one of Hangzhou's leading Buddhist figures, and Leifeng Pagoda, built to house stupa relics of the historical Buddha. Welter delves into the intricacies of these two sites and pays particular attention to their origins and rebirths. These sites have suffered devastation and endured long periods of neglect, yet both have been resurrected and re-resurrected during their histories and have resumed meaningful places in the contemporary Hangzhou landscape, a mark of their power and endurance. A Tale of Two Stupas adopts a site-specific, regional approach in order to show how the dynamics of initial conception, resurrection, and re-resurrection work, and what that might tell us about the nature of Hangzhou and Chinese Buddhism.


Book Synopsis A Tale of Two Stūpas by : Albert Welter

Download or read book A Tale of Two Stūpas written by Albert Welter and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-11-04 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, and the surrounding environs have one of the richest Buddhist cultures in China. In A Tale of Two Stupas, Albert Welter tells the story of Hangzhou Buddhism through the conceptions, erections, and resurrections of Yongming Stupa, dedicated to the memory of one of Hangzhou's leading Buddhist figures, and Leifeng Pagoda, built to house stupa relics of the historical Buddha. Welter delves into the intricacies of these two sites and pays particular attention to their origins and rebirths. These sites have suffered devastation and endured long periods of neglect, yet both have been resurrected and re-resurrected during their histories and have resumed meaningful places in the contemporary Hangzhou landscape, a mark of their power and endurance. A Tale of Two Stupas adopts a site-specific, regional approach in order to show how the dynamics of initial conception, resurrection, and re-resurrection work, and what that might tell us about the nature of Hangzhou and Chinese Buddhism.