Exploring Chán: An Introduction to the Religious and Mystical Tradition of Chinese Buddhism - Hardcover

Zhi, Chuan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1733314318 ISBN 13: 9781733314312

Publisher: Songlark Publishing, 2019

Synopsis

Chuan Zhi invites us to explore Chán's origins and development through canonical texts, monastic traditions, and spiritual practices that span over five millennia. With the help of insights culled from contemporary scholars and historians, Chuan Zhi further examines how Chán's development was influenced by social and political forces during the Tang and Song dynasties, and how it was modified further by Koreans and Japanese to accommodate their own indigenous folk religions, social customs, and political agendas. Finally, he describes contemporary approaches to Chán training and challenges sometimes encountered with its practice.

About this title

About the Author

A native of the United States, in 1998 Chuan Zhi received full ordination in China to become a monk (bhikṣu) and was assigned the abbacy of the Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun, an online resource for Chán study and practice.

Review

"A sweeping history of Chinese Buddhism that includes personal reflections on meditation and practical instruction for beginners.

"The historical development of the Buddhist faith is obscure, partly because the intensely personal experience of meditative practice itself resists scholarly documentation. Nevertheless, with extraordinary rigor and erudition, debut author Zhi reconstructs both the emergence of Buddhism in general, and of Chinese (or Chan) Buddhism in particular. By the time Buddhism arrived in China, it had already evolved in India from Vedism, Brahmanism, Jainism, and Hinduism. Then, as early as the 2nd century BCE, it was again refashioned by the political, sociological, and religious influences of its time--in this case, Confucianism and Taoism. The author discusses the original forms of Buddhism practiced in India, and its metamorphosis when it traveled all over Asia. The author specifically focuses on the ways in which, in China as elsewhere, Chan Buddhism split into strains that were either more meditatively spiritual or institutional. After he impressively concludes this "broad picture of Chan Buddhism," he turns his attention to its practice and furnishes a thorough introduction for the novice, including an accessible discussion of the benefits of maintaining a meditative practice and "Hindrances" that could undermine it. Zhi is a fully ordained Buddhist monk, and his knowledge of the subject matter is astonishing; he not only demonstrates an academic mastery of Buddhism as a historical phenomenon, but also a philosophically profound understanding of its spiritual core--which, contrary to many Western misconceptions, is not enlightenment: "Enlightenment is best viewed as a consequence rather than an objective of spiritual labor," Zhi notes. "The purpose of spiritual life is to unravel mysteries and transcend suffering. It's a fluid, evolving process." [...] [A] remarkable study that's intellectually stimulating, historically edifying, and spiritually instructive." - Kirkus Review

"Chuan Zhi addresses every possible inquiry with grace, eloquence, and profundity. This work is definitely one of those 'dog-eared' treasures that one returns to again and again as an invaluable resource . . . A much-needed piece of research to the long history of Chan." -- Stacy C. Douglas

Edition details

• Publisher: Songlark Publishing
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1733314318
• ISBN 13: 9781733314312
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 496