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Dōgen Zen and Song Dynasty China

Ishii Shūdō and Albert Welter

in Dōgen: Textual and Historical Studies

This chapter explores the relationship between Dōgen's thought and that of leading Song Chan thinkers of the Caodong (Sōtō) and Linji (Rinzai) lineages, particularly the intense rivalry between the ... More

This chapter explores the relationship between Dōgen's thought and that of leading Song Chan thinkers of the Caodong (Sōtō) and Linji (Rinzai) lineages, particularly the intense rivalry between the approaches of “silent illumination” and “introspecting the kōan.”. When considering the concept of silent illumination, Chan refers to the Chan style of Hongzhi, a fellow disciple with Zhenxie of Danxia and a member of the same Caodong order as Dōgen's teacher, Rujing. Although not necessarily aligning himself with this view, it is clear that the style Dōgen disagreed with most strongly was introspecting the kōan Zen, represented by the illustrious Linji master Dahui (1089–1163), whom Dōgen both praised and excoriated in various writings. The chapter addresses the following questions that are critical to Dōgen studies: What kind of attributes characterized the paths of silent illumination and introspecting-the-kōan during the Song Dynasty? What connection does Dōgen Zen, which resulted from his importation of Song Chan to Kamakura Japan, have with the various Song schools and approaches? In short, it considers the characteristics of Dōgen Zen against the currents of Chinese Chan history and ideology in order to understand and explicates the influences Dōgen received, as well as the unique features of religious practice he formulated and promulgated.Less

Official Recognition of Chan Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty

Albert Welter

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

This chapter examines the history of the official recognition of Chan Buddhism in China during the Tang Dynasty, or the period from 618 to 906. It reviews two partisan debates related to the Chan ... More

This chapter examines the history of the official recognition of Chan Buddhism in China during the Tang Dynasty, or the period from 618 to 906. It reviews two partisan debates related to the Chan struggle for recognition in order to show the role played by government officials and secular literati in the development of Chan. It suggests that the debate associated with the struggle between rival Chan factions in the early Song Dynasty was instrumental in defining the principles that came to characterize Chan, and served as the foundation for the acceptance of Chan as a leading school of Chinese Buddhism in the Song.Less

Chan Transmission Records and Factional Motives in the Tang Dynasty

Albert Welter

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

This chapter examines the factional motives in the Chan Buddhism in China during the Tang Dynasty using transmission records. It reviews early Chan transmission records that exposes the rise of ... More

This chapter examines the factional motives in the Chan Buddhism in China during the Tang Dynasty using transmission records. It reviews early Chan transmission records that exposes the rise of factionalism in Chan just as these factions are beginning to forge a successful identity in Chinese Buddhism. It analyzes the factional nature of the claims of the three full-blown multilineal transmission records compiled around the beginning of the Song Dynasty including the Patriarch's Hall Anthology, Jingde Record Lamp, and the Tiansheng Extended Transmission of the Lamp.Less

Flying Money and Capitalist Monks

Joe Carlen

in A Brief History of Entrepreneurship: The Pioneers, Profiteers, and Racketeers Who Shaped Our World

By the Medieval Era, the Far East had not only caught up with Christian and Islamic civilization but, at least in commercial terms, had surpassed both. From the invention of fiduciary (or paper) ... More

By the Medieval Era, the Far East had not only caught up with Christian and Islamic civilization but, at least in commercial terms, had surpassed both. From the invention of fiduciary (or paper) money to sophisticated forms of urban development and labor specialization, Chinese entrepreneurs had transformed their society. The chapter describes how these entrepreneurs, some of whom were Buddhist monks, shaped and distinguished China during the Tang and Song Dynasties.Less

Negative Role Models: Unfilial Stories in Song Miscellaneous Writing

Cong Ellen Zhang

in Behaving Badly in Early and Medieval China

While unfilial behavior was touched on in the Confucian classics and disrespectful children were occasionally portrayed in earlier literature, it was not until the Song Dynasty when unfilial stories ... More

While unfilial behavior was touched on in the Confucian classics and disrespectful children were occasionally portrayed in earlier literature, it was not until the Song Dynasty when unfilial stories appeared in a large number, especially in biji筆記‎ writing. In representing sons and daughters-in-law from the ordinary class as susceptible to violating fundamental social norms and the efficacy of speedy and certain retribution, Song unfilial tales shed much light on elite perceptions of ordinary family life and of the shifting balance of power in the household. This attention to filiality in local society ran parallel to and eventually coalesced with the Neo-Confucian articulation of ideal moral, familial, and social order.Less

The Interplay of Social and Literary History: Tea in the Poetry of the Middle Historical Period

Ronald Egan

in Scribes of Gastronomy: Representations of Food and Drink in Imperial Chinese Literature

This chapter traces the development of poetic treatments of tea from Tang to Song, starting with its early Buddhistic associations that gradually diffused until the subject became ubiquitous in elite ... More

This chapter traces the development of poetic treatments of tea from Tang to Song, starting with its early Buddhistic associations that gradually diffused until the subject became ubiquitous in elite culture, and to attempt an assessment of the literary and cultural meanings of tea when it reached its maturity as a poetic subject during the Song dynasty.Less

Contracts, Property, and Litigation: Intermediation and Adjudication in the Huizhou Region (Anhui) in Sixteenth-Century China

Harriet T. Zurndorfer (ed.)

in Law and Long-Term Economic Change: A Eurasian Perspective

This chapter examines issues related to the nature of legal decisions and the use of evidence and court procedures in China. It shows the active litigation culture from the Song dynasty to the Ming ... More

This chapter examines issues related to the nature of legal decisions and the use of evidence and court procedures in China. It shows the active litigation culture from the Song dynasty to the Ming dynasty, during China's “second commercial revolution.” The study on Huizhou prefecture shows that the rapidly growing number of legal disputes, particularly those involving increasingly complex land rights, had overrun administrative legal systems and led to the increasing involvement of informal and community or village level in arbitration and dispute settlement.Less

The Gusuku Period

Mamoru Akamine

Robert Huey (ed.)

in The Ryukyu Kingdom: Cornerstone of East Asia

This chapter looks at the Gusuku period (roughly the fifteenth century), when Ryukyu was divided into two cultural spheres – northern and southern. This period saw the rise of local fiefs, and ... More

This chapter looks at the Gusuku period (roughly the fifteenth century), when Ryukyu was divided into two cultural spheres – northern and southern. This period saw the rise of local fiefs, and increased trade between them and others in East Asia (Japan, China, Korea, etc.). The chapter describes how Song China developed an East Asian Trade sphere that encompassed all the surrounding countries, including the various fiefdoms in the Ryukyu Islands. The Ryukyus specialized in sulphur and mother-of-pearl, both in high demand in the region. As Japan ceased trading directly with China, Ryukyu became an important go-between.Less

The Quanzhou Ship

Jun Kimura

in Archaeology of East Asian Shipbuilding

The chapter presents the details of hull structure and construction methods of the Quanzhou Ship dating to the last quarter of the Song Dynasty’s period (960–1279 A.D.). While the ship has been ... More

The chapter presents the details of hull structure and construction methods of the Quanzhou Ship dating to the last quarter of the Song Dynasty’s period (960–1279 A.D.). While the ship has been examined in previous study, this is the most inclusive description of the hull based on the actual investigation and recording work of the excavated hull, generated new data and interpretation. The hull remains represent the phase of clear technological development of the East China Sea shipbuilding tradition and the maturity of shipbuilding industries in the central and southern Chinese coasts to construct merchant ships for long distance shipping during the period.Less

Ages of Gold

Philip Jenkins

in Climate, Catastrophe, and Faith: How Changes in Climate Drive Religious Upheaval

One way to appreciate the potential role of climate in human affairs is to observe what happens when—at least from a human-centric perspective—matters are going very well and the heavens appear to be ... More

One way to appreciate the potential role of climate in human affairs is to observe what happens when—at least from a human-centric perspective—matters are going very well and the heavens appear to be smiling. Despite the occasional emphasis on eras of climate-driven disaster and deprivation, some historical epochs were wonderfully benevolent, times when the Sun’s warmth evidently manifested God’s bounty. One such era was the High Middle Ages, which coincided with a period of warming over large parts of the globe. Trade and commerce flourished, abundant harvests produced generous food supplies, and prosperity was conspicuously manifested in religious experiment and innovation. Such eras are often recalled through legendary and even exalted figures, such as St. Francis or Thomas Aquinas in the medieval European context. Whatever we term them, cultural golden ages have existed, and they have their foundations in climate conditions.Less