Abstract
In this paper, we explore the historical background and the semantic underpinnings of a central, if marginally treated, metaphor of enlightenment and transmission in Chan discourse, “silent accord” 默契. It features centrally in Essentials of the Transmission of Mind 傳心法要, a text that gathers the teachings of Chan master Huangbo Xiyun (d. ca. 850), a major Tang dynasty figure. “Silent accord” is related to the concept of mind-to-mind transmission, which lies at the very core of Chan Buddhist self-understanding. However, Chan historiography has shown that this self-understanding was partially a product of the Song dynasty lineage records, historically retroactive syncretic constructs produced by monks and literati as efforts towards doctrinal and political recognition and orthodoxy. There are thus lacunae in the history of Chan thought opened up by the retrospective fictions of Song dynasty, and a lack of reliable, dateable documents from the preceding Tang dynasty era, possibly fraught with later additions. We situate the metaphor “silent accord” in the history of Chan thought by searching for its origins, mapping its functions in Chan literature, arguing for its influence and thereby its role in helping to bridge the ninth century gap.
Highlights
Holding the Line, Bridging the GapWe examine the role, function, and influence of the metaphor of “silent accord” 默契 in the development of Chan thought, especially during what is termed the middle period of Chan (750–1000), covering roughly the most part of Tang dynasty (618–907) and the subsequent Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era (907–979), ending in the early part of Song dynasty (960–1279)
Function, and influence of the metaphor of “silent accord” 默契 in the development of Chan thought, especially during what is termed the middle period of Chan (750–1000), covering roughly the most part of Tang dynasty
The nature of enlightenment and its transmission was in the process of constant negotiation throughout the centuries in Chinese Chan Buddhist discourse
Summary
Function, and influence of the metaphor of “silent accord” 默契 in the development of Chan thought, especially during what is termed the middle period of Chan (750–1000), covering roughly the most part of Tang dynasty The problem that might seem negligible from the point of view of meditation praxis, was vexing from the point of view of establishing an independent tradition and producing the requisite documents for it These problematic conditions led in the end to the lineage-based orthodoxy that reached its mature form during the Song dynasty. These documents recorded the biographies, teachings, sayings and dialogues of Chan masters, and organized them according to lineage affiliation and in descending generational order, like a family tree Central to these texts, and other related text genres such as “recorded sayings” 語録 (yulu), was what are often termed “encounter dialogues”, records of exemplary dialogues where enlightenment is transmitted. We investigate the metaphor’s meaning and influence in Chan thought after Huangbo and its potential to function as one stepping-stone over the lacuna of middle Chan textual history
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