Hong Mai’s Record of the Listener and Its Song Dynasty Context by Allister D. Inglis (review)

Abstract

150 Journal of Chinese Religions For the history of religions the chief value of this book is its portrayal of a fundamental conflict between Buddhism and traditional Chinese family and political values, a conflict that ends with the complete victory of Buddhism. The dialogues between Miaoshan and her father are intense and sharp, as when he visits her in prison. When the emperor says, “How is one different from animals, birds and beasts if one does not follow a father’s instructions?”… Marvelous Goodness replies, “My father, the emperor, dear daddy, you are misled and deluded and unenlightened, and your perverse heart is all ablaze. This is not the behavior of a lord and emperor in possession of the Way! ...If you cannot control your family, how can you control the nation? If you are a Son of Heaven and an emperor of men, how would you, a father, ever think of entering into this side palace at midnight? How would it look if the world came to know this?” (pp. 110-111). In reply to one of her sisters the princess says, “One road leads to heaven, the other to hell. It is up to you to choose which one you want to go. I for sure will walk the road that leads to heaven. You are tied to the road to the prisons of hell!” (p. 77). And to the officials sent to persuade her she says, “Your fame may be spread throughout the wide world, but you will not escape from the cycle of birth and death….For all your smarts you’ve lost both body and mind. What is the use of your world-famous essays and writings? They’re shackles of fame and profit, utterly useless!” (p. 81). Here Buddhist ideas are the subversion that orthodox Confucians had always feared, still strongly expressed after 1400 years! The author also provides a translation of The Precious Scroll of Good-in-Talent and Dragon Girl, a short text that provides a scriptural basis for Guanyin’s chief acolytes, Shancai 善財 and Longnü 龍女, as well as a story about the White Parrot that is often portrayed with her (pp. 161-189). In the Introduction, Professor Idema also comments on a comparison of the Miaoshan story with stories of thirteenth century French female saints who courageously retained their virginity in the face of temptations and torture (pp. 14-18). In sum, this is an excellent book and translation that deserves to be read by students of Buddhism and of cultural conflicts. The only error I found in it was twice listing my name as David Overmyer, an honorable name, but not my own! DANIEL L. OVERMYER, Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia Hong Mai’s Record of the Listener and Its Song Dynasty Context ALLISTER D. INGLIS. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2006. xiii, 257 pages. ISBN 978-7914-6822-7. US$21.95 paper. The Yijianzhi 夷堅志 (Record of the Listener) by the Southern Song scholar Hong Mai 洪邁 (1123-1202) has always been an important source for the study of Song social and cultural Book Reviews 151 history, but this voluminous collection of Song anecdotal literature itself has remained little explored in English until Allister D. Inglis’ book-length study. In delving into some key features of Yijianzhi, ranging from its authorship, readership, themes, and genre to its textual transmission and contexts, Inglis enriches our understanding of the Yijianzhi in particular and the nature of zhiguai 志怪 writing in general. Inglis’ book opens with a general introduction to Hong Mai’s life and his compilation of Yijianzhi. It recognizes Yijianzhi as a “compendium of amateur or informal story-telling” (p. 2), drawing for its sources on both oral and written literature and from a wide range of social groups. It then traces the compilation of Yijianzhi’s original 420 chapters in 32 installments throughout Hong Mai’s lifetime and how it survives into the 207 chapters in its modern editions. In particular, Inglis uses several of Hong’s own family stories to illustrate the rich religious world in which Hong lived and therefore his enduring interest in collecting stories about the strange and the spirits. Chapter 2 focuses...