East Asian Buddhism Research Articles

Dignāga’s Transformation of Cognitive Logic into East Asian Buddhist logic - Focusing on The Controversy Surrounding the Inference that it is Yusigbilyang(唯識比量) of Xianzang(玄奘)-

Dignāga’s Transformation of Cognitive Logic into East Asian Buddhist logic - Focusing on The Controversy Surrounding the Inference that it is Yusigbilyang(唯識比量) of Xianzang(玄奘)-

Prolegomena to the study of Youxi Sanmei 遊戲三昧 Buddhist sacred play between agonism and mimicry

ABSTRACT This article outlines a genealogical profile of an elusive doctrinal concept that, after being discussed in several Mahāyāna sutras, had a significant impact on East Asian Buddhist traditions. This notion is known as ‘playful samādhi’, in Chinese youxi sanmei 遊戲三昧, which translates to Sanskrit vikrīḍita samādhi. The compound youxi 遊戲 (‘playful’ – ‘at play’) was cited in Chinese sutras and Buddhist documents, in renowned and widely diffused collections of gongans/kōans 公案, was expounded and commented on by Dōgen Zenji 道元禅師 (1200–1253) in its Japanese version yuge 遊戲 and was explored by modern scholars and interpreters as Ryōsuke Ōhashi 大橋良介 and Wu Rujun 吳汝均, who compares youxi 遊戲 with Schiller’s Spieltrieb . Given the significance of ‘playful samādhi’ across different epochs and cultures, I believe a clarification of the term is especially needed. Furthermore, explicit reference to contemporary scholarship on play studies can help uncover its philosophical implications, shedding new light on a complex notion that defies a univocal interpretation and reunites in its semantic field both the aesthetic and religious dimensions.

The Hangzhou Region and the Spread of East Asian Buddhism

The story of East Asian Buddhism is a complex tapestry woven through centuries of cultural exchange, religious development, and scholarly interpretations [...]

Doctrinal Engagements and Disengagements: Yongming Yanshou and His Legacies

Abstract This paper looks at the vexed relationship of doctrine, or teaching (C. jiao/K. kyo/J. kyō 教) in the three kindred traditions subsumed under the rubric of the Sino-East Asian graph 禪, known through their distinctive pronunciations in modern languages as Chan, Sŏn, and Zen. While the stipulation of these traditions as ‘a special/separate transmission outside the teachings’; (jiaowai biechuan 教外別傳) presumes independence from Mahayana doctrinal teachings, the reality, as we know, was much more complicated. In this paper, I use Yongming Yanshou 永明延壽 (904–975/6), one of the most prominent Chan figures to promote doctrinal engagement, as a barometer to look at how doctrinal engagements and disengagements are regarded throughout each tradition. Perspectives on Yanshou, a figure at once revered and marginalized, unlock key features of each of these three interconnected traditions, what they share and how they disagree. Fundamentally, perspectives on doctrinal engagements and disengagements are rooted in seminal Chan disputes over the nature and value of Buddhist teaching, and Yanshou is a conduit for these disputes. Given the theme of the conference, ‘How Zen Became Chan’; I also look at the discrepancies these disputes reveal between modern Rinzai Zen orthodoxy’s defining of Zen in the modern world and the practice of Chan in China and Sŏn in Korea. The options that these discrepancies reveal are indicative of the relevance of doctrinal entanglements and disentanglements to the contemporary Chan, Sŏn, and Zen worlds.

East Asian Buddhism and Korea’s Transnational Interactions and Influences

No one can dispute the significant influence of Sinitic Buddhism in East Asia, but Korean Buddhists were also unquestionably close to the center of the development of different schools of Buddhism in mainland China, particularly in the Jiangnan region, which had historically drawn monks from the peninsula. This article will briefly cover the historical transnational Buddhist interactions between Korea and China, with an emphasis on doctrinal Buddhism, the significance of Ŭisang and Ǔich’ǒn, and the influence of Hangzhou’s Buddhist intellectual advancements. Even though the article’s main focus is on doctrinal contacts, we will also briefly discuss Chan Buddhism in China and how it influenced the texts and techniques of the Korean Sŏn (Zen) monk Chinul (1158–1210), who made an effort to integrate the doctrinal and meditational traditions, as did Ǔich’ǒn. This process of idea-cross-fertilization led to the Tripitaka Koreana, the largest collection of Buddhist texts in East Asia, created by Buddhists during the Koryŏ dynasty (918–1392), which is discussed below. This will aid in our understanding of these transnational exchanges and highlight the fact that Koreans were not only absorbing new ideas as they emerged in China, but they were also influencing them.

The East Asian Mahāyāna Teaching of the One Mind and Its Implications in a Polarized World

This paper addresses the problem of polarization, which is considered one of the most pressing issues facing humanity, from the perspective of Mahāyāna Buddhism, specifically, the East Asian Buddhist teaching of the One Mind. The teaching is outlined in the Treatise on Awakening Mahāyāna Faith (Dasheng qixin lun), a significant text in East Asian Buddhism. The paper suggests that the One Mind teaching can help counteract the deluded and polarized mind, which seems inevitable due to the human condition but gives rise to polarization. We have the potential to move from delusion to awakening, since these two mental states are not separate from each other. By awakening to the One Mind, which is the common foundation of equality and interconnectedness of all sentient beings, we can return to our original still and pure mind that is capable of seeing the reality beyond the discriminating, prioritizing, and repressing mind, which has no intrinsic self-nature. Thus, the solution to the problem of so-called “post-truth”, epistemic bubbles, and echo chambers lies in cultivating mindfulness and awareness of the mind as well as recognizing the fundamental interconnectedness of all beings through the One Mind.

East Asian Buddhism's Two Ways of Accepting the Problem of ‘Convergence of Opposites’ of Laozi and Zhuangzi Thought: Awareness of linguistic Relativity or Assumption of An Unspeakable Unitary Entity

East Asian Buddhism's Two Ways of Accepting the Problem of ‘Convergence of Opposites’ of Laozi and Zhuangzi Thought: Awareness of linguistic Relativity or Assumption of An Unspeakable Unitary Entity

The Influence of Wŏnhyo’s Understanding of “Shenjie” 神解 on the Chinese Commentaries on the Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna

This study aims to reveal the influence of Wŏnhyo’s Kisillon so (Wŏnhyoso) on Chinese commentaries on the Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna (AFM), which is regarded as important in East Asian Buddhism. Previous studies focused only on the influence on Fazang’s Qixinlun shu (Fazangshu), but it should be noted that the Wŏnhyoso also had an effect on the understanding of the AFM in China. First, by comparing the usage of “shenjie” in the Fazangshu and in the Wŏnhyoso, one can identify Wŏnhyoso’s unique interpretation. The Wŏnhyoso defines it as “mystical understanding as the nature of One Mind in the aspect of thusness and the nature of the mind of original enlightenment in the aspect of arising and ceasing”, whereas the Fazangshu defines “shenjie” as “an excellent comprehension”. Next, examining the usage of “shenjie” of the Wŏnhyoso in the later commentaries on the AFM after Fazang, such as the Shilun, the Zanxuanshu, the Puguanji, the Zongmishu, the Bixueji, the Shulue, and the Huiyue, has confirmed the influence of the Wŏnhyoso in Chinese Buddhism. In addition, the relationships between Chinese commentaries on the AFM were also clarified based on the commentaries’ acceptance of “shenjie”.

Protocols of Conversion: Indigenous Gods and Eminent Monks in East Asian Buddhism

This article examines the relationships between eminent monks and local gods in East Asian Buddhism, problematizing the ill-defined and much-employed concept of “protector deity of the dharma” (Skt. dharmapāla). By carefully examining various stories of the interactions between eminent monks and various gods found mostly in the biographies of eminent monks in Buddhist literature, we find three recognizable patterns when an indigenous god transforms into a “Buddhist” god. This study illustrates the ways in which local gods obtain Buddhist identities and deciphers how the “conversion” becomes possible via the spiritual power of the eminent monks, whose drive from their moral strength serves as the foundation of their spiritual essence. In this long process of localization of the dharma, the most effective narratives link the idea of the dharmapāla with the virtue of eminent monks. Hence, these narratives in GSZ, XGSZ, and Samugykusa contain colorful examples of taming local gods and malicious spirits with their mental power and moral virtue, finding a place for those gods to fit into the new Buddhist order. This study provides insights into the complex interactions between different religious traditions and sheds light on the ways in which religious ideas and practices are adapted and transformed in new cultural contexts.

Философско-смисловото поле на преводаческо-интерпретативната техника на гъ-и

The Philosophical Sense of the translatory-interpretive technique of the Geyi The article aims to present the controversy surrounding the geyi's translation and interpretation technique, which was used in the third and fourth centuries in China, commonly translated as "matching concepts", which is the most distinct manifestation of the adaptation of Buddhist concepts to classical Taoist doctrines. For this purpose, its basic philological and philosophical interpretations of the term are presented. Studying the spread and adaptation of Buddhist doctrines in China gives the unique opportunity to balance these two opposing positions. The very specificity of the philosophical sense of the translator and the interpretive technique of the geyi is considered in its aspect as one of the main factors that shaped the features of Chinese Buddhism and its subsequent final detachment from its Indian equivalent. Its use and improvement mark the beginning of the formation of East Asian Buddhism as an essentially new Buddhist doctrinal strand.

MEMORY, MUSIC, MANUSCRIPTS: THE RITUAL DYNAMICS OF KŌSHIKI IN JAPANESE SŌTŌ ZEN. By MichaelaMross. Studies in East Asian Buddhism, 30. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2022. . Pp. xviii + 365. Hardback. $68.00; Paperback, $20.00.

Religious Studies ReviewVolume 49, Issue 1 p. 98-99 Short Reviews of Recent Publications: East Asia MEMORY, MUSIC, MANUSCRIPTS: THE RITUAL DYNAMICS OF KŌSHIKI IN JAPANESE SŌTŌ ZEN. By Michaela Mross. Studies in East Asian Buddhism, 30. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2022. . Pp. xviii + 365. Hardback. $68.00; Paperback, $20.00. First published: 24 April 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.16401Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume49, Issue1Special Issue: Unique Approaches to Christianity in Africa and BeyondMarch 2023Pages 98-99 RelatedInformation

THE AWAKENING OF FAITH AND NEW CONFUCIAN PHILOSOPHY. . Edited by JohnMakeham. East Asian Buddhist Philosophy, 2. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2021. Pp. xii + 503. Hardback, €193.00.

Religious Studies ReviewVolume 49, Issue 1 p. 94-94 Short Reviews of Recent Publications: East Asia THE AWAKENING OF FAITH AND NEW CONFUCIAN PHILOSOPHY. . Edited by John Makeham. East Asian Buddhist Philosophy, 2. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2021. Pp. xii + 503. Hardback, €193.00. First published: 24 April 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.16387Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume49, Issue1Special Issue: Unique Approaches to Christianity in Africa and BeyondMarch 2023Pages 94-94 RelatedInformation

Zongmi’s Inquiry into the Origin of Humanity: Rhetorical Characteristics and Their Implications

Zongmi 宗密 (780–841) is a pivotal figure in understanding the characteristics of East Asian Buddhist philosophy, especially that of Huayan and Chan. And it is in the Inquiry into the Origin of Humanity (Yuanren lun 原⼈論) that Zongmi developed his integrated and universal system of philosophy that incudes Confucianism and Taoism in addition to the five schools of Teaching and Chan. This paper probes the rhetorical characteristics of the Inquiry into the Origin of Humanity focusing on the six categories of panjiao 判敎, the chiastic structure from shallow to deep, and the unique terminology Zongmi coined in the matrix of inclusive reconciliation.BR Zongmi devises a two-layered chiastic structure in the Inquiry into the Origin of Humanity. On one layer, he writes the panjiao in a forward order and then in reverse. At the same time, he makes a chiastic contrast “from shallow to deep.” At the center of the chiastic structure, he deliberately places his own terms such as the One True Numinosity (yizhen lingxing 一眞靈性), which he adopted from Buddhist elemental concepts and transformed them into more universal notions in East Asian philosophy, a recurring occurrence in the history of East Asian Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism This experimental application of rhetorical criticism of East Asian Buddhist texts proves that the method can contribute enormously to our understanding of the broader picture and the depth of the text.

Towards a Buddhist theism

AbstractMy claim in this article is that the thesis that Buddhism has no God, insofar as it is taken to apply to Buddhism universally, is false. I defend this claim by interpreting a central text in East-Asian Buddhism – The Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna – through the lenses of perfect being theology (PBT), a research programme in philosophy of religion that attempts to provide a description of God through a two-step process: (1) defining God in terms of maximal greatness; (2) inferring the properties or attributes that God must have in virtue of satisfying the definition. My argument comprises two steps. First, I argue that, since PBT is a method for providing a description of God starting from a definition of God, any text that contains a PBT ipso facto contains a notion of God. Second, I argue through textual evidence that The Awakening articulates a PBT, concluding that it contains a notion of God. Since the method of PBT leaves open what descriptions are to be inferred, my argument allows me to conclude that a text contains a notion of God without previously committing to any particular conception of the divine, which makes it particularly versatile and powerful.

The Exegetical Tradition of the Buddhāvataṃsaka-sūtra

The Buddhāvataṃsaka-sūtra, which served as an ideological foundation for the establishment and gradual development of the Huayan school, is one of the most influential Mahāyāna sūtras in East Asian Buddhism. This article shows how the exegetical tradition that focused on the study of this scripture was started by the scholar monks of the Dilun school, who highly valued the Vasubandhu’s commentary on the Daśabhūmika-sūtra chapter of the Buddhāvataṃsaka-sūtra, and was completed during the Tang dynasty by the masters of the Buddhist exegesis, who later were venerated as patriarchs of the Huayan school.

A Study of Chinese Commentaries on the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment

The Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment, also known as Yuanjuejing 圓覺經 or, in full, Dafang guangyuanjue xiuduoluo liaoyijing 大方廣圓覺修多羅了義經, is a mindfulness meditation sutra with a particularly high reputation that has been the subject of a great deal of annotations and commentaries throughout the history of East Asian Buddhism. However, hitherto, the literature has not systematically organized and studied these annotations and commentaries. The aim of this paper is to organize the Chinese commentaries on this sutra from the 8th to the 17th centuries systematically and tointroduce the different situations by the commentaries produced by different schools of Buddhism. Briefly, these works mainly include the commentaries by Weique 惟愨, Wushi 悟實, Jianzhi 堅志, Daoquan 道詮, and Tsung-mi 宗密 during the Tang Dynasty (618–907); the commentaries of the Huayan 華嚴宗, Tiantai 天臺宗, and Chan 禪宗 schools during the Song Dynasty (960–1279); and the literal interpretations and collected commentaries produced during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368–1912).

Fragments of the Old Uyghur Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī in the Serindia Collection of the IOM, RAS

The Uṣṇīṣavijayā dhāraṇī, considered a Buddhist text about the Goddess Uṣṇīṣavijayā and her dhāraṇī, is known as one of the most important texts in the Old Uyghur translation literature. It occupies a central position as a dhāraṇī text in South Asian, Central Asian, and East Asian Buddhism. Apart from Old Uyghur, it appears in a variety of languages and scripts, including Sanskrit, Tangut, Tibetan, Chinese, and Mongolian. The text is appraised as particularly beneficial for eliminating karmic obstacles and evil paths, annihilating hostility, disasters, demons, and scourges, relieving beings of suffering and bringing them happiness, prolonging their well-being, and increasing their longevity. It is also believed to increase wisdom, obliterate hells, and provide a chance to be born in Buddha heaven, called Sukhāvatī, or other pure lands. This paper deals with the edition of newly identified fragments of the Uṣṇīṣavijayā dhāraṇī in Old Uyghur preserved in the Serindia Collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IOM, RAS). The fragments presented belong to the same blockprint edition produced during the Mongolian period. The study includes the transliteration, transcription, and translation of these fragments within the context of a semantic sequence of the text. The version on the fragments is compared with versions in other languages to reveal differences between texts. Finally, a reconstructed text is presented.

The impact of Buddhism on society during the Goryeo period

Professor Myungje Cho has been studying the impact of Buddhism on society during the Goryeo period. In his current research, he is exploring the significance of the History of Thought by reorganising the flow and character of Goryeo Buddhism as East Asian Buddhism and the History of Thought. Cho has shown that while Goryeo Buddhism demonstrated some influence from Song's Zen philosophy, it also maintained its own independent characteristics. In his analysis, Cho showed that the two phases of Goryeo’s adoption of Koan Zen, the spread of Wenzi Chan during the period of the 12th to 13th centuries, was followed by the popularity of Kanhua Chan amongst the Goryeo intellectuals in the 14th century. In his work, he sought to identify the phases of adoption of Goryeo’s Koan Zen and explain the factors for accelerating its spread and impact of the transmission on society. Cho analysed and clarified, for the first time, the main text and the flow of ideas of Zen Buddhism in Goryeo. His research also offers a way to understand Korean mediaeval Buddhism within a wider context of East Asian history of ideas through the literary analysis of Chinese literature published in Goryeo or Zen literature compiled in Goryeo Buddhism from the perspective of cultural history.

Report of How Zen Became Chan: Pre-modern and Modern Representations of a Transnational East Asian Buddhist Tradition (July 29–31, 2022)

Report of How Zen Became Chan: Pre-modern and Modern Representations of a Transnational East Asian Buddhist Tradition (July 29–31, 2022)

Trajectories of East Asian Buddhism in South Africa: a comparative perspective

ABSTRACT In this article I take my cue from Michel Clasquin-Johnson’s reflections on six main themes (lay practice, gender equality, adhesion to democratic principles, impact of Western psychology, social engagement, creation of a non-sectarian tradition) underlying the development of mainstream South African Buddhism to explore three forms of East Asian Buddhism operating in the country: the Dharma Centre (Korean Sŏn)—a representative of mainstream South African Buddhism—and the local branches of two large new religious movements—the Japan-based Soka Gakkai International (Nichiren Buddhism) and the Taiwan-based Foguangshan (Chinese Pure Land/Chan Buddhism)—which include a more diverse section of the South African population. Besides providing a detailed analysis of these forms of East Asian Buddhism in the country, I test the applicability of Clasquin-Johnson’s themes to the case studies and explore four further topics for the comparative study of South African Buddhism: interactions with local religions, proselytization, hybridization, the promise of worldly benefits.