The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature

The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature explores the growth, makeup, and transformation of Chan (Zen) Buddhist literature in late medieval China. The volume analyzes the earliest extant records about the life, teachings, and legacy of Mazu Daoyi (709-788), the famous leader of the Hongzhou School and one of the principal figures in Chan history. While some of the texts covered are well-known and form a central part of classical Chan (or more broadly Buddhist) literature in China, others have been largely ignored, forgotten, or glossed over until recently. Poceski presents a range of primary materials important for the historical study of Chan Buddhism, some translated for the first time into English or other Western language. He surveys the distinctive features and contents of particular types of texts, and analyzes the forces, milieus, and concerns that shaped key processes of textual production during this period. Although his main focus is on written sources associated with a celebrated Chan tradition that developed and rose to prominence during the Tang era (618-907), Poceski also explores the Five Dynasties (907-960) and Song (960-1279) periods, when many of the best-known Chan collections were compiled. Exploring the Chan School's creative adaptation of classical literary forms and experimentation with novel narrative styles, The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature traces the creation of several distinctive Chan genres that exerted notable influence on the subsequent development of Buddhism in China and the rest of East Asia. "This well-crafted and accessible new book by Mario Poceski makes an outstanding contribution to the field of medieval Chinese Buddhist studies in two ways. In Part I Poceski convincingly explores and explains major hagiographic portrayals of Mazu as iconoclast, thaumaturge, and doctrinal teacher, while also breaking new ground by analyzing Chan literary genres formed as part of a community of memory. Part II presents reliable annotated translations of Mazu's biographical materials, encounter dialogues, and transcribed sermons." --Steven Heine, Professor of Religious Studies and History, Florida International UniversityPreface and Acknowledgements ; Abbreviations ; Conventions ; Introduction ; Part I: Study of Chan Literature ; Chapter 1: Mazu's Records and the Study of Chan Literature ; Chapter 2: Hagiographic Representations of Patriarch Ma ; Chapter 3: Further Communal Remembrances ; Chapter 4: Formation of Chan Genres ; Chapter 5: Four Main Genres ; Chapter 6: Protracted Makings of Texts and Patriarchs ; Part II: Translation and Commentary of Mazu's Records ; Text 1: Mazu's Stele Inscription ; Text 2: Stone Case Inscription ; Text 3: Biographical Entry in Zu tang ji ; Text 4: Excerpts from Zong jing lu ; Text 5: Biographical Entry in Song gao seng zhuan ; Text 6: Biographical Entry in Jingde chuan deng lu ; Text 7: Sermon in Jingde chuan deng lu ; Appendix: Additional Sources about Mazu ; Glossary ; Bibliography ; Index