the zen canon understanding the classic texts mar 2004

The Zen Canon:
Understanding the
Classic Texts
STEVEN HEINE
DALE S. WRIGHT,
Editors
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Zen Canon
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The Zen Canon
Understanding the Classic Texts
edited by steven heine
and
dale s. wright
1
2004
1
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Copyright ᭧ 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Zen canon :understanding the classic texts / edited by Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright.
p. cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-515067-8; ISBN 0-19-515068-6 (pbk.)
1. Zen literature—History and criticism. 2. Zen Buddhism—Sacred books—Introductions.
I. Heine, Steven. II. Wright, Dale S.
BQ9264.2.Z45 2004
94.3'85—dc 12 2003049864
987654321
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
Acknowledgments
The editors, Steven Heine of Florida International University and
Dale S. Wright of Occidental College, thank Cynthia Read and Ox-
ford University Press for their interest in the project and Theo Cald-
erara and Heather Hartman for their skillful work on the book.
They are also grateful for the support provided by their respective
institutions in the preparation of the manuscript. Special thanks go
to several assistants who worked on the manuscript, including
Sandy Avila, Wendy Lo, Judy Squires, and Patricia Valencia.
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Contents
Abbreviations, ix
Contributors, xi
Transliteration and Terminology, xv
Introduction: Canon and Canonicity in the History of the Zen
Literary Tradition, 3
Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright
1. Tsung-mi’s Zen Prolegomenon: Introduction to an Exemplary

Zen Canon, 11
Jeff Broughton
2. Mazu yulu and the Creation of the Chan Records of Sayings, 53
Mario Poceski
3. The Lidai fabao ji (Record of the Dharma-Jewel through
the Ages), 81
Wendi Adamek
4. The Huang-po Literature, 107
Dale S. Wright
5. Lineage and Context in the Patriarch’s Hall Collection and the
Transmission of the Lamp, 137
Albert Welter
6. The Record of Hongzhi and the Recorded Sayings Literature of
Song-Dynasty Chan, 181
Morten Schlu¨tter
viii contents
7. The Wu-men kuan (J. Mumonkan): The Formation, Propagation,
and Characteristics of a Classic Zen Ko¯an Text, 207
Ishii Shu¯do¯ (Translated by Albert Welter)
8. The Eihei ko¯roku: The Record of Do¯gen’s Later Period at
Eihei-ji Temple, 245
Steven Heine
9. Chanyuan qinggui and Other “Rules of Purity” in Chinese Buddhism, 275
T. Griffith Foulk
Index, 313
Abbreviations
HTC/XZJ Hsu¨ tsang ching/Xu zangjing, 150-volume reprint edition
of ZZ (Taipei: Hsin-wen-feng, n.d.)
T Taisho¯ shinshu¯ daizo¯kyo¯ (Tokyo: Taisho¯ issaikyo¯ kanko¯kai,
1924–1932).

ZZ Dainippon zoku zo¯kyo¯ (Kyoto: Zo¯kyo¯ shoin, 1904–1912)
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Contributors
Wendi Adamek is assistant professor of Chinese Religion at Bar-
nard College, Columbia University. She received her Ph.D. in Reli-
gious Studies from Stanford University in 1998. Her dissertation is
based on her translation of the Lidai fabao ji, and her current re-
search focus is seventh- through tenth-century Chinese Buddhist do-
nor inscriptions.
Jeff Broughton is professor in the Department of Religious Stud-
ies at California State University Long Beach. His specialty is Bud-
dhist Studies (early Chan texts). He holds a Ph.D. from Columbia’s
Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and is the author
of Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen (1999). He is
planning two more volumes, one a set of translations of Dunhuang
Chan texts and the other a translation of the Chan works of Guifeng
Zongmi.
T. Griffith Foulk teaches Asian religions at Sarah Lawrence Col-
lege. He was trained in both Rinzai and Soto Zen monasteries in
Japan, has published extensively on the institutional and intellectual
history of Chan/Zen Buddhism, and is currently co–editor-in-chief
of the Soto Zen Translation Project based in Tokyo.
Steven Heine is professor of Religious Studies and History and Di-
rector of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International Uni-
versity. Heine has published numerous books and articles dealing
with the life and thought of Do¯gen and the history and philosophy
xii contributors
of Zen Buddhism, including Do¯gen and the Ko¯an Tradition: A Tale of Two Sho¯-
bo¯genzo Texts (1994), The Zen Poetry of Do¯gen: Verses from the Mountain of
Eternal Peace (1997), Shifting Shape, Shaping Text: Philosophy and Folklore in the

Fox Ko¯an (1999), The Ko¯an: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism (coedited with
Dale S. Wright, 2000), and Opening a Mountain: Ko¯ans of the Zen Masters
(2001).
Ishii Shu¯do¯ is professor in the Department of Buddhist Studies at Komazawa
University in Tokyo. His publications include So¯dai Zenshu¯shi no kenkyu¯ (1987),
Chu¯goku Zenshu¯ shi hanashi (1988), and Do¯gen Zen no Seiritsu-shi-teki Kenkyu¯
(1991), as well as dozens of articles on the historical development of Ch’an/
Zen literature.
Mario Poceski is assistant professor in the Department of Religion at the
University of Florida. Poceski has a Ph.D. from the East Asian Languages and
Cultures Department at the University of California Los Angeles. His primary
research interest is the history of Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty. His
publications include Manifestation of the Tathagata: Buddhahood According to
the Avatamsaka Sutra (1993) and Sun-Face Buddha: The Teachings of Ma-tsu and
the Hung-chou School of Ch’an (1993).
Morten Schlu¨ tter has a Ph.D. from Yale University and has taught at Vic-
toria University of Wellington, University of Wisconsin-Madison, UCLA, and
Yale University. His publications include “ ‘Before the Empty Eon’ versus ‘A
Dog Has No Buddha-nature’: Koˆan Use in the Ts’ao-tung Tradition and Ta-
hui’s Ko¯an Introspection Ch’an,” in The Ko¯an: Texts and Contexts in Zen Bud-
dhism (2000); “Silent Illumination, Kung-an Introspection, and the Competi-
tion for Lay Patronage in Sung Dynasty Ch’an,” in Buddhism in the Sung (1999),
and “A Study in the Genealogy of the Platform Sutra,” Studies in Central and
East Asian Religions 2 (1989): 53–115.
Albert Welter is associate professor of Religious Studies at the University of
Winnipeg, Canada. He has completed a number of studies of Chan and Chi-
nese Buddhism, and is currently working on a project supported by the Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada on the formation of
Chan Identity in Chan transmission history texts. His publications include a
book on Chinese Ch’an, The Meaning of Myriad Good Deeds: A Study of Yung-

ming Yen-shou and the Wan-shan t’ung-kuei chi (1993), and several articles and
reviews on East Asian Buddhism.
Dale S. Wright is David B. and Mary H. Gamble Professor of Religious
Studies and Asian Studies at Occidental College. His area of specialization
and research is Buddhist philosophy, particularly Hua-yen Buddhism and
contributors xiii
Ch’an/Zen Buddhism. His publications include Philosophical Meditations on
Zen Buddhism (1998) and The Ko¯an: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism (coe-
dited with Steven Heine, 2000), as well as numerous articles in Philosophy
East and West, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, History and Theory,
and elsewhere.
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Transliteration and
Terminology
The Ko¯an used the Wade-Giles system of transliterating Chinese, but
the chapters in this volume have been written using either Wade-
Giles (Broughton, Wright, Welter, Ishii, Heine) or Pinyin (Poceski,
Adamek, Schlu¨tter, Foulk). Although it seems unusual to include
both systems rather than standardize all contributions to the vol-
ume, the editors felt that it was preferable to allow authors to work
in the system with which they were most comfortable, in part be-
cause most readers will not have difficulty recognizing equivalents.
A complete list of conversions is provided in order to check the us-
ages. Also, note that several key terms in Zen literature and thought
are translated in different ways in various articles to allow the au-
thors the most flexibility in making their analysis and arguments.
xvi
Pinyin–Wade-Giles Conversion Table
Pinyin Wade-Giles Pinyin Wade-Giles
aa

ai ai
an an
ang ang
ao ao
ba pa
bai pai
ban pan
bang pang
bao pao
bei pei
ben peˆn
beng peˆng
bi pi
bian pien
biao piao
bie pieh
bin pin
bing ping
bo po
bou pou
bu pu
ca ts’a
cai ts’ai
can ts’an
cang ts’ang
cao ts’ao
ce ts’eˆ
ceng ts’eˆng
cha ch’a
chai ch’ai

chan ch’an
chang ch’ang
chao ch’ao
che ch’eˆ
chen ch’eˆn
cheng ch’eˆng
chi ch’ih
chong ch’ung
chou ch’ou
chu ch’u
chua ch’ua
chuai ch’uai
chuan ch’uan
chuang ch’uang
chui ch’ui
chun ch’un
chuo ch’o
ci tz’u˘
cong ts’ung
cou ts’ou
cu ts’u
cuan ts’uan
cui ts’ui
cun ts’un
cuo ts’o
da ta
dai tai
dan tan
dang tang
dao tao

de teˆ
dei tei
deng teˆng
di ti
dian tien
diao tiao
die tieh
ding ting
diu tiu
dong tung
dou tou
du tu
duan tuan
dui tui
dun tun
duo to
eeˆ, o
en eˆn
eng eˆng
er eˆrh
fa fa
fan fan
fang fang
fei fei
fen fen
feng feng
fo fo
fou fou
fu fu
ga ka

gai kai
gan kan
gang kang
gao kao
xvii
Pinyin Wade-Giles Pinyin Wade-Giles
ge keˆ, ko
gei kei
gen keˆn
geng keˆng
gong kung
gou kou
gu ku
gua kua
guai kuai
guan kuan
guang kuang
giu kuei
gun kun
guo kuo
ha ha
hai hai
han han
hang hang
hao hao
he ho
hei hei
hen heˆn
heng heˆng
hong hung

hou hou
hu hu
hua hua
huai huai
huan huan
huang huang
hui hui
hun hun
huo huo
ji chi
jia chia
jian chien
jiang chiang
jiao chiao
jie chieh
jin chin
jing ching
jiong chiung
jiu chiu
ju chu¨
juan chu¨an
jue chu¨eh
jun chu¨n
ka k’a
kai k’ai
kan k’an
kang k’ang
kao k’ao
ke k’eˆ, k’o
ken k’eˆn

keng k’eˆng
kong k’ung
kou k’ou
ku k’u
kua k’ua
kuai k’uai
kuan k’uan
kuang k’uang
kui k’uei
kun k’un
kuo k’uo
la la
lai lai
lan lan
lang lang
lao lao
le leˆ
lei lei
leng leˆng
li li
lia lia
lian lien
liang liang
liao liao
lie lieh
lin lin
ling ling
liu liu
long lung
lou lou

lu lu
luan luan
lun lun
luo lo
lu¨lu¨
lu¨an lu¨an
lu¨e lu¨eh
lun lun, lu¨
ma ma
mai mai
man man
mang mang
mao mao
me meˆ
(continued )
xviii
Pinyin–Wade-Giles Conversion Table (continued)
Pinyin Wade-Giles Pinyin Wade-Giles
mei mei
men meˆn
meng meˆng
mi mi
mian mien
miao miao
mie mieh
min min
ming ming
miu miu
mo mo
mou mou

mu mu
na na
nai nai
nan nan
nang nang
nao nao
ne ne
nei nei
nen neˆn
neng neˆng
ni ni
nian nien
niang niang
niao niao
nie nieh
nin nin
ning ning
niu niu
nong nung
nou nou
nu nu
nuan nuan
nun nun
nuo no
nu¨nu¨
nu¨e nu¨eh
ou ou
pa p’a
pai p’ai
pan p’an

pang p’ang
pao p’ao
pei p’ei
pen p’eˆn
peng p’eˆng
pi p’i
pian p’ien
piao p’iao
pie p’ieh
pin p’in
ping p’ing
po p’o
pou p’ou
pu p’u
qi ch’i
qia ch’ia
qian ch’ien
qiang ch’iang
qiao ch’iao
qie ch’ieh
qin ch’in
qing ch’ing
qiong ch’iung
qiu ch’iu
qu ch’u¨
quan ch’u¨an
que ch’u¨eh
qun ch’u¨n
ran jan
rang jang

rao jao
re jeˆ
ren jeˆn
reng jeˆng
ri jih
rong jung
rou jou
ru ju
ruan juan
rui jui
run jun
ruo jo
sa sa
sai sai
san san
sang sang
sao sao
se seˆ
sen seˆn
seng seˆng
sha sha
shai shai
xix
Pinyin Wade-Giles Pinyin Wade-Giles
shan shan
shang shang
shao shao
she sheˆ
shei shei
shen sheˆn

sheng sheˆng
shi shih
shou shou
shu shu
shua shua
shuai shuai
shuan shuan
shuang shuang
shui shui
shun shun
shuo shuo
si ssu˘, szu˘
song sung
sou sou
su su
suan suan
sui sui
sun sun
suo so
ta t’a
tai t’ai
tan t’an
tang t’ang
tao t’ao
te t’eˆ
teng t’eˆng
ti t’i
tian t’ien
tiao t’iao
tie t’ieh

ting t’ing
tong t’ung
tou t’ou
tu t’u
tuan t’uan
tui t’ui
tun t’un
tuo t’o
wa wa
wai wai
wan wan
wang wang
wei wei
wen weˆn
weng weˆng
wo wo
wu wu
xi hsi
xia hsia
xian hsien
xiang hsiang
xiao hsiao
xie hsieh
xin hsin
xing hsing
xiong hsiung
xiu hsiu
xu hsu¨
xuan hsu¨an
xue hsu¨eh

xun hsu¨n
ya ya
yai yai
yan yen
yang yang
yao yao
ye yeh
yi i, yi
yin yin
ying ying
yong yung
you yu
yu yu¨
yuan yu¨an
yue yu¨eh
yun yu¨n
za tsa
zai tsai
zan tsan
zang tsang
zao tsao
ze tseˆ
zei tsei
zen tseˆn
zeng tseˆng
zha cha
zhai chai
zhan chan
zhang chang
zhao chao

zhe cheˆ
(continued )
xx
Pinyin–Wade-Giles Conversion Table (continued)
Pinyin Wade-Giles Pinyin Wade-Giles
zhei chei
zhen cheˆn
zheng cheˆng
zhi chih
zhong chung
zhou chou
zhu chu
zhua chua
zhuai chai
zhuan chuan
zhuang chuang
zhui chui
zhun chun
zhuo cho
zi tzu˘
zong tsung
zou tsou
zu tsu
zuan tsuan
zui tsui
zun tsun
zuo tso
The Zen Canon
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Introduction: Canon and

Canonicity in the History of
the Zen Literary Tradition
Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright
This volume is a sequel or companion volume to The Ko¯an: Texts
and Contexts in Zen Buddhism.
1
It examines a rich variety of texts in
various genres that are crucial to an understanding of the history
and thought of the Zen (C. Chan) Buddhist tradition in East Asia.
These texts form a major part of the Zen canon, the acknowledged
core of Zen Buddhist sacred literature.
One theme that reappears throughout this literature is the Zen
tendency to reject the Buddhist canon, showing disdain for sacred
literature of any kind. Zen is well known for the slogan claim, attrib-
uted to its founding patriarch, Bodhidharma, that it represents “a
special transmission outside the teachings, that does not rely on
words and letters.” The image of Zen as rejecting all forms of ordi-
nary language is reinforced by a wide variety of legendary anecdotes
about Zen masters who teach in bizarre nonlinguistic ways, such as
silence, “shouting and hitting,” or other unusual behaviors. And
when the masters do resort to language, they almost never use ordi-
nary referential discourse. Instead they are thought to “point di-
rectly” to Zen awakening by paradoxical speech, non sequiturs, or
single words seemingly out of context. Moreover, a few Zen texts re-
count sacrilegious acts against the sacred canon itself, outrageous
acts in which the Buddhist sutras are burned or ripped to shreds.
All of these examples demonstrate the extraordinary Zen Buddhist
effort to evoke an “awakening” by transcending ordinary language
through powerfully direct means.
In spite of these exemplary stories however, it is clear that Zen

represents one of the high points in Chinese and Buddhist literary
4 the zen canon
culture, producing by far the most voluminous and important canon of sacred
texts in East Asia. Beginning in the late Tang dynasty and continuing for cen-
turies in China, as well as in Kamakura through Tokugawa Japan, Zen writers
have produced an unparalleled volume of texts in a wide variety of genres.
These sacred texts define the tradition of Zen in such a way that understanding
them is fundamental to any acquaintance with this form of Buddhism. The
variety of these texts is also extraordinary. Zen genres include the “recorded
sayings” of an individual Zen master’s life and teachings, collections of “re-
corded sayings” texts organized into the larger genealogical framework of Zen
history called “transmission of the lamp” records, ko¯an collections containing
prose and verse commentaries by famous Zen masters on earlier prototypical
Zen sayings or stories, and monastic codes covering the rules of conduct for
the life of Zen monks. Other forms of Zen interpretive literature go beyond
these fundamental genres, for example, capping verses on ko¯an cases that
come to be compiled into Zen phrase books, or esoteric commentaries known
in Japan as kirigami.
Literary imagination and creativity have long been basic to the Zen tradi-
tion, and provide one key to the historical success of Zen throughout East Asia.
Zen came to prominence in China during the politically troubled era of the
late Tang and Song dynasties as well as the tumultuous Kamakura era in Japan.
These were periods of intense religious and philosophical competition, and
although Zen emerged on occasion as the dominant force, in all periods it was
forced to compete with other Buddhist rivals as well as with Confucian, Daoist,
and Shinto alternatives. In each of these arenas, literature was the key to the
vitality and dynamism of the Zen tradition, and the dimension of its cultural
creativity that enabled it to face these historical challenges. Indeed, today noth-
ing is more emblematic of the Zen tradition than its impressive canon of texts.
Canon and Canonicity

One of the main goals of this volume is to clarify and amplify the significance
of canonicity in Zen Buddhism. Zen does not have a canon in the formal sense
of the term, although many of its classic texts are included in the modern East
Asian Buddhist canonical collections, the Taisho¯ shinshu¯ daizo¯kyo¯ and its sup-
plement, the Hsu¨ tsang ching (J. Zoku zo¯kyo¯). On the other hand, Zen tradition
recognizes a core of writings in the various genres as seminal resources for
the expression of doctrine. As Harold Bloom shows in The Western Canon, the
term canonicity does not necessarily refer to a fixed body of writings that exert
a dogmatic sense of authority, but rather indicates the role of texts that express
a compellingly creative and powerful message.
2
Robert Alter points out in
Canon and Creativity, “A canon is above all a trans-historical textual community.
Knowledge of the received texts and recourse to them constitute the commu-