Enlightenment in Dispute The Reinvention of Chan Buddhism in Seventeenth-Century China

by Wu, Jiang

• ISBN13: 9780195333572
• ISBN10: 0195333578
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-04-17
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

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 argues that the revival of Chan Buddhism depended upon reinventions of previous Chan ideals, which had been largely lost after the Song dynasty. Wu 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. Examining the role of textual practice and the implication of dharma transmission in rebuilding Chan institutions, Wu argues that the Chan revival was actively coordinated to coincide with the transformation of Chinese culture and society. His study concludes by bringing the Chan revival to a larger historical context and reflecting on its legacies, ultimately establishing a general pattern of past Buddhist revivals.

Author Biography

Jiang Wu is Assistant Professor of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona.

Table of Contents

Conventions and Explanatory Notes
Chronology
Introduction	p. 3
The Context of Seventeenth-Century China
Reenvisioning Buddhism in the Late Ming	p. 21
The Literati and Chan Buddhism	p. 47
The Rise of Chan Buddhism	p. 83
The Principle of Chan
Clashes among Enlightened Minds	p. 113
The Divergence of Interpretation	p. 135
The Yongzheng Emperor and Imperial Intervention	p. 163
Lineage Matters
The Debate about Tianhuang Daowu and Tianwang Daowu in the Late Ming	p. 187
The Lawsuit about Feiyin Tongrong's Wudeng yantongin the Early Qing	p. 207
The Aftermath	p. 225
Critical Analysis
Explaining the Rise and Fall of Chan Buddhism	p. 245
The Pattern of Buddhist Revival in the Past	p. 265
Concluding Remarks	p. 287
Translation of Official Documents	p. 291
Major Controversies in the Seventeenth Century	p. 297
Survey of Evidence Concerning the Issue of Two Daowus	p. 311
Glossary	p. 333
Abbreviations of Dictionaries and Collections	p. 353
Notes	p. 355
Bibliography	p. 403
Index	p. 441
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