平安末期,源平爭霸之際,平家武將率領大批騎兵自京都長驅直入故都奈良,將國家佛教的信仰中心東大寺與興福寺,泰半夷為廢墟,史稱「南都(奈良)燒討」。朝廷對此血腥破壞大為震駭,下令重建東大寺建築與大佛像,希望藉此穩定國家政體,撫慰亡魂。
1181年8月,重源接受天皇的命令,募款修復東大寺。鑑於他的家庭背景、宗教素養、中國知識,以及擁有的人脈,選擇重源完全合理。接下來二十五年,重源不斷哄騙日本統治者提供他越來越多的權力、金錢及物資,來完成計畫。重源雇用許多大木匠師、藝術家與匠師讓計畫成形,而他變身成為外交家、募款人與承包商。他還遠赴鄉間去搜集原料。然而最重要的是,他以僧人身分主導法會儀軌,賦與這項計畫精神意義,將藝術品轉化為具有神聖力量的法器。天皇為獎勵重源功勞,賜予「大和尚」的尊稱,雕刻了他的肖像以示尊崇。重建工程開啟了一百年劇烈的文化騷動。重源時代創造的佛教藝術,包括雕像、繪畫、法器和建築,呼應了當時的國家精神與社會熱望,充滿驚人的生命力與表現力。
●作者簡介
羅森福 (John M. Rosenfield)出生美國德州,愛荷華大學碩士,哈佛大學藝術史博士(1959)。任教母校藝術史系(1965~1990)專攻印度佛教藝術,博士論文出版為《貴霜王朝藝術》(The Dynastic Arts of the Kushans, 1967)隨即前往京都學習日本美術,研究範圍涵蓋日本各時期佛教藝術,同時也發表關於德川幕府(江戶)時期建築、雕刻與町人美術研究。1988年榮獲日本政府旭日章賞,2001年山片蟠桃賞Yamagata Banto Prize,2012年美國史密森尼學會弗瑞爾獎章(Charles Lang Freer Medal)以表彰他對日本文化的貢獻。
●譯者簡介
顏娟英現任中央研究院史語所研究員(1995.8至今) 美國哈佛大學藝術史博士
台灣大學歷史系藝術史組碩士,堪薩斯大學藝術史碩士,哈佛大學藝術史博士。曾任職國立故宮博物院(1975~1977),加州大學洛杉磯分校(1985.1~7),中央研究院歷史語言研究所(1986迄今),中央大學藝術學研究所(2001~2003借調)。 研究領域主要分為中國與臺灣。中國美術史研究重點在中古時期的佛教藝術史,出版《鏡花水月》(2016);台灣美術史出版《風景心境--臺灣近代美術文獻導讀》(2002),《臺灣近代美術大事年表》(1998)。
──這是一個學會關愛他人、永不放棄的奇幻故事──全台第一本千手觀音神祇繪本‧榮獲2023美國國家育兒出版獎(NAPPA)當千手觀音遇到了困境……祂該如何重拾勇氣?只要保有慈悲與堅持,都能讓破碎的心更強大、更有智慧。聖觀世音是生活在月球上、富有同情心的英雄。他試圖幫助世界上每個人,但當意識到自己無法拯救所有人時,便感到無比沮喪且無助。因為失去助人的信念,使他的身體爆炸成一千塊碎片。在睿智的良師益友——阿彌陀佛的開導下,這些碎片以比以前可以造福更多眾生的方式重新組合在一起,千手觀音便由此誕生。在現實社會中,一雙手,也許沒辦法把事情做得很好;一雙眼,也許可能沒辦法把事情端詳透徹。但故事中告訴我們,如果願意付出所擁有的一切、投入自身全部的力量,或許我們就能夠讓事情結果變得不一樣!擁有猶如千手千眼觀音的力量。本書特色:◎勉勵讀者不畏失敗、跌倒了再爬起來。聖觀世音的強韌意志,展現即使面對困境,我們總能撿起破碎的心,比以前更堅強、更有愛心、更聰明。或許現實人生中要做到此種胸懷很困難,但可以透過繪本讓小孩子從小學習、耳濡目染,甚至能讓大人重新思考自己是否已被現實社會改變了善良的初心。◎融入佛教中助人、慈悲等利他思想。透過簡單的故事完整描述觀音悲天憫人、胸懷大愛的精神,傳遞給讀者造福他人、發善的美德。◎繪圖精緻生動,引領各年齡層讀者深入觀音的故事中。書中精美的插圖,採用獨特的色彩、陰影和透視等繪畫技巧,喚起讀者對神話和奇蹟的感受。不限年齡的畫風,也能讓喜愛繪本的成人讀者有收藏的衝動!
作者簡介
哈里‧愛因霍恩 Harry Einhorn哈里.愛因霍恩是一位多學科藝術家、教育家和佛教徒,現居台北。他在西北大學接受過戲劇和戲劇教育培訓,曾在魯賓博物館和哈克博物館擔任博物館教育工作者,為世界各地的博物館和公司領導講解故事和參與的研討會。目前,他在華梵大學佛教藝術系擔任講師,教授佛教音樂、西藏圖像學和佛教英語等課程。作為一名藝術家,他熱衷於以藝術和文化將古老的智慧傳統與現代生活相融合,並創作音樂、舞蹈和裝置藝術探索佛教教義的作品。他曾在印度、法國、巴西、台灣和美國的佛教靜修會中進行協調和教學。
繪者簡介
柯亞.黎Khoa Le柯亞.黎是一位插畫家、平面設計師和作家, 畢業於胡志明市美術大學。 她出版了幾本屢獲殊榮的兒童讀物,其中四本是她自己撰寫和繪製。 並曾多次在越南、香港、新加坡和韓國等地舉辦展覽。│曾獲獎項│2015 年 SAMSUNG KIDSTIME AUTHORS'' AWARD 大獎2017 年 Scholastic PICTURE BOOK AWARD 亞軍(新加坡 Scholastic Asia)2020 年北極光圖書獎最佳插畫家類別獲獎者(The Lonely Polar Bear - Happy Fox Books出版)悉尼泰勒圖書獎(SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS) - Picture Book Honor (Miriam at the River - Kar-Ben Publishing出版)TOKA BOX TOP 南亞童書 - 最佳插圖(Sugar in Milk - Hachette Book Group出版)她對旅行充滿熱情,渴望了解不同的文化,渴望發現世界的美麗,這對她來說非常鼓舞人心。 目前和她的貓一起居住在胡志明市。
譯者簡介
李瓊絲文字工作者,淡江大學英文系畢業,威斯康辛大學新聞大傳所碩士。從小編到老編,一路走來,編過雜誌做過書。從文學類到生活類到身心靈書籍,驀然回首,已經從憂鬱青年走過哀樂中年,跨入追求慢活的初老。願與書同老,活到老學到老。
This is the fourth volume of proceedings of the Āgama seminars convened by the Āgama Research Group at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (formerly Dharma Drum Buddhist College). It comprises nineteen studies, contributed by eighteen different scholars, on various themes related to the Connected Collections of discourses (suttas, sūtras) — Saṃyutta-nikāya in Pali, Saṃyukta-āgama in Sanskrit — transmitted by different early Buddhist lineages of reciters, preserved in their Indic originals in Gandhari, Pali and Sanskrit as well as in Chinese and Tibetan translations. This research draws attention to fundamental methodological points posed by the study of these scriptural collections as windows into the formation of early Buddhist texts and the organisation of their transmission.
作者簡介
About the editor:Bhikkhunī DhammadinnāDharma Drum Institute of Liberal ArtsAbout the contributors:Oskar von HinüberAlbert-Ludwigs-Universität FreiburgBhikkhu AnālayoUniversität HamburgRupert GethinUniversity of BristolRichard SalomonUniversity of WashingtonMark AllonUniversity of SidneyJoseph MarinoUniversity of WashingtonJin-il Chung (鄭鎮一)Akademie der Wissenschaften zu GöttingenPeter Skilling (Bhadra Rujirathat)École française d’Extrême-OrientJens-Uwe HartmannLudwig-Maximilians-Universität MünchenYao Fumi (八尾 史)Waseda Institute for Advanced StudiesBhikkhunī DhammadinnāDharma Drum Institute of Liberal ArtsBhikkhu PāsādikaAcadémie bouddhique Linh-SonBhikṣu Huimin (釋惠敏)Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal ArtsTaipei National University of the ArtsKarashima Seishi (辛嶋 靜志)The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka UniversityMarcus BingenheimerTemple UniversityKen Su [Su Jinkun (蘇錦坤) ]Āgama Research GroupChoong Mun-keat (鍾秉潔) [Wei-keat (煒傑)]University of New EnglandStefania TravagninRijksuniversiteit Groningen
Taiwan went through an intense period of social change in 1949. The island's politics, economy, ethnicity …… had undergone considerable change. In response this period of tumultuous change, Master Dong Chu founded the "Humanity" magazine to help people cope.
Seventy years later, "Humanity" had weathered being shelved, relaunched and redesigned. It still continues to publish topics that help people cope with the changes in today's world monthly. As "Humanity" approaches its 70th anniversary, it is encountering a different kind of changing world. 27 June 2018, with the aim of sharing the diversity of spiritual practices, we invited dharma masters from different traditions to share the compassion and wisdom of Buddhadharma. The full texts of the keynote speeches and panels are included in this special issue of " Awakening in the Global Buddhist Village".
"Humanity's" guiding teacher, Master Sheng Yen, dedicated his life to bringing Chinese Chan Buddhism to the West. Many Westerners who became his students twenty to thirty years ago continue to follow his footsteps, engage in self cultivation and teaching, establish centers and transmit the lineage. How did they discover Chan Buddhism and how did they find their teacher, Master Sheng Yen? These stories of the teacher and the student are very inspirational.
In the twenty first century, on this 70th anniversary of "Humanity" magazine, Buddhism has spread around the world resembling a global Buddhist village. From the United States of America, Bhikkhu Bodhi described his process of transformation from a traditional monastic to that of a social advocator because he witnessed the oppression of human beings caused by the current social systems; to Italy's Bhikkhun? Dhammadinn? who shared about her journey of how she went from learning dancing to engaging in Buddhist research and ultimately to becoming a female monastic.
Contributing to the world in our capacity of Chinese Chan Buddhism, "Humanity"70 along with the Buddhist Dharma family all over the world and our friends on the same path, let us "Awaken in the Global Buddhist Village"!
About the Humanity magazine
Founded in 1949, Humanity magazine was the first Buddhist magazine published and released in Taiwan. Founded by Ven. Dong Chu and later continued by his disciple Master Sheng Yen, it has been one of the most influential magazines in Taiwan’s Buddhist circles.
Humanity magazine concerns itself about contemporary development of Buddhism, and puts an emphasis on the uplifting of people’s minds and spiritual lives. Each month’s topic not only touches upon various social phenomena, but also explores from Buddhist concepts to worldly studies, to encourage readers to search their inner beings and incorporate Buddhist practice into their daily lives. For cover and layout design, the magazine has invited outstanding illustrators to help render an elegant yet fun style, thus through pages allowing readers to slow down and find a space for spiritual relaxation, self-transformation, and the enjoyment of purity and freedom by applying the Dharma in life.
The magazine had been discontinued for a while due to Master Sheng Yen’s solitary retreat practice. When it was reissued in 1982, as an encouragement, he wrote:
Seek progress in the ordinary life and see the glory of life in hardship.
Seek development in harmony and see the hope in the hard work.
Seek abundance in peace and calm and see the solemness in the training.
Seek wisdom in silence and see the compassionate aspiration in the proactive commitment.
In the future, the Humanity magazine will continue to uphold Master Sheng Yen’s encouragements and expectations, to keep on sharing Buddhist wisdom and compassion, to help bring brightness and hope to the world.
Here is the inimitable Master Sheng Yen at his best, illuminating the ancient texts of the Chinese Zen tradition to show how wonderfully practical they really are, even for us today. The texts, written by two of the founders of the Ts’ao-tung sect of Chan Buddhism, are poems entitled Inquiry into Matching Halves and Song of the Precious Mirror Samadhi. Both emphasize the Chan view that wisdom is not separate from vexation, and both speak of the levels of awareness through which one must pass on the way to realization. Both are also works of Buddhist philosophy that can serve as guides to spiritual practice for anyone.
《〈破魔變〉中英對照校注》為敦煌寫卷的重要研究,〈破魔變〉講述佛陀成道時,遭逢魔王擾亂修行的故事。變文是受到佛教影響而興起的一種文學體裁,改寫佛經故事,讓故事更通俗易懂,將佛法的精神與意義深印人心,此種講唱佛經的方式,深深影響了中國文學和戲劇的發展。二○一五年七月至二○一七年三月,中華佛學研究所洪振洲教授與根特大學根特佛學研究中心(Ghent Centre of Buddhist Studies at Ghent University)安東平(Christoph Anderl)教授合作主持「中古佛教寫本資料庫編碼」專案,將部分敦煌佛教寫卷進行整理與數位化;二○一七年再設立「敦煌寫卷〈破魔變〉中英對照本專案」,將〈破魔變〉寫卷再次進行校注與整理,並出版本書。為方便中、西方讀者閱讀,書中附有〈破魔變〉寫卷彩圖,並將寫卷內容楷定成現代通用的正字,同時製作異體字表、通假字表,及提供中、英文的校勘與註解,以利讀者參照研究,能深入理解寫卷,感受變文之美,並體會佛法真義。
作者簡介
洪振洲(「中古佛教寫本資料庫編碼」專案主持人)臺灣科技大學資訊管理系博士,法鼓文理學院佛教學系專任副教授兼任圖書資訊館館長。他的研究興趣包含漢譯佛典作譯者分析、數位典藏專案建構、數位人文研究資源開發與數位文字處理議題,目前參與許多由法鼓文理學院執行的數位典藏計畫。安東平 Christoph Anderl(「The Database on Medieval Chinese Dunhuang Texts 」project director)Christoph Anderl is a Professor of Chinese Language and Culture at Ghent University. He has an MA in Chinese Studies from Vienna University, and a PhD in Chinese Linguistics from Oslo University.Anderl's research focuses on Medieval Chinese language and literature, with an emphasis on vernacular texts and Dunhuang manuscripts, Medieval Chan Buddhism, and the interplay of text and image in the transmission of Buddhist narratives.
The present book collects research papers by Bhikkhu Anālayo related to Vinaya. Recurrent topics are the nature of Vinaya narrative and the overlap between discourse and Vinaya material, both of which have significant ramifications for the use of such textual material by the modern scholar. In addition, topics taken up in the course of this book are the legal consequences of pārājika, the mass suicide of monks, the tale of Vessantara's lavish giving, the impact of the account of the first saṅgīti on attitudes towards Vinaya rules, the account of the foundation of the order of bhikkhunīs, and the legal dimensions of the revival of the bhikkhunī order.
作者簡介
Bhikkhu Anālayowas born in Germany in 1962 and ordained in Sri Lanka in 1995. He completed a Ph.D. thesis at the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) in 2000 and a habilitation thesis at the University of Marburg (Germany) in 2007. At present he is a professor at the University of Hamburg, Numata Center for Buddhist Studies (Germany).
The present book collects research papers by Bhikkhu Anālayo containing translations of Dīrgha-āgama discourses and comparative studies of their Pāli parallels (as well as relevant Sanskrit fragments), together with three appendices. Several chapters and the appendices are devoted to examining aspects of the early Buddhist oral transmission. In addition, topics taken up in the course of this book are the analysis of views in the Brahmajāla, healing in early Buddhism, the Buddha's last meditation, his display of fire miracles, levitation, debating strategies, and the future Buddha Maitreya.
作者簡介
Bhikkhu Anālayowas born in Germany in 1962 and ordained in Sri Lanka in 1995. He completed a Ph.D. thesis at the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) in 2000 and a habilitation thesis at the University of Marburg (Germany) in 2007. At present he is a professor at the University of Hamburg, Numata Center for Buddhist Studies (Germany).
This is the third volume of proceedings of the Āgama seminars convened by the Āgama Research Group at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (formerly Dharma Drum Buddhist College). It collects academic contributions on various aspects related to the Middle-length Collec¬tions of discourses (sūtras, suttas) transmitted by different early Buddhist lineages of reciters, preserved in their Indic originals in Gandhari, Pali and Sanskrit as well as in Chinese and Tibetan translations.
作者簡介
About the editor:Bhikkhunī DhammadinnāDharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts
About the contributors:
Mark Allon & Blair SilverlockUniversity of Sydney
Bhikkhu AnālayoUniversity of Hamburg
Roderick S. BucknellUniversity of Queensland
Jin-il Chung(鄭鎮一)Göttingen Academy of Sciences
Takamichi Fukita(吹田隆道)Bukkyō University
Jen-jou Hung(洪振洲)Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts
Seishi Karashima(辛嶋靜志)The International Research Institute forAdvanced Buddhology at Soka University
Michael RadichVictoria University of Wellington
Richard SalomonUniversity of Washington
Peter SkillingÉcole française d’Extrême-Orient
Ingo StrauchUniversity of Lausanne
The present book collects research papers by Bhikkhu Anālayo with translations of Ekottarika-āgama discourses and comparative studies of their Pāli parallels, together with three appendices on the terms Mahāyāna, Hīnayāna, and Theravāda. Several papers study aspects of the Ekottarika-āgama as a collection distinct from other Nikāya and Āgama collections. In addition, topics taken up in the course of this book are seclusion, the lion's roar, the wheel-turning king, Paccekabuddhas, and the four noble truths, as well as depictions of accomplished nuns and their significance.
作者簡介
Bhikkhu Anālayo was born in Germany in 1962 and ordained in Sri Lanka in 1995. He completed a Ph.D. thesis at the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) in 2000 and a habilitation thesis at the University of Marburg (Germany) in 2007. At present he is a professor at the University of Hamburg, Numata Center for Buddhist Studies (Germany).
Live a life of ease and freedom, on the basis of peace and solidity, with the principle of being less agitated and affected.
Many masters in the history of Chinese Chan Buddhism emphasized practice as daily living. Whether monastic or lay, a follower uses the concepts and methods of Chan in daily life. By doing so, one experiences calmness and ease while being spontaneous and lively amidst mundane reality. Chan is not a religion, not a philosophy, and surely not mysterious or weird sorcery. It is the wisdom of living, the cultivation of body and mind, and a principle and guideline for spiritual development. It is also the best method for influencing and purifying the environment.--Master Sheng Yen
作者簡介
Master Sheng Yen (1930-2009)
Master Sheng Yen was born in 1930 and became a monk in 1943. He conducted a six-year solitary retreat, after which he went to Japan for further study and obtained a doctorate in Buddhist literature at Rissho University. In 1975, he began sharing the Dharma in the US, and in 1989, founded the Dharma Drum Mountain organization. In 2005, he established the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhism, as an effort to reinvent Chinese Buddhism.
He authored more than 100 publications in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and received the Sun Yat-sen Art and Literary Award, the Sun Yat-sen Academic Award, and the Presidential Cultural Award, among other honorary awards.
He proposed the vision of "uplifting the character of humanity and building a pure land on earth," founded the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, and Dharma Drum Sangha University. Experienced in Chan using correct approaches, he guided practice in both the West and East. Popularizing the Dharma in modern language, the Master initiated movements including Protecting the Spiritual Environment, Four Kinds of Environmentalism, the Fivefold Spiritual Renaissance Campaign, and the Six Ethics of the Mind. He shared the Dharma globally with a broadminded perspective, winning him worldwide recognition.
The present book collects research papers by Bhikkhu Anālayo with translations of Saṃyukta-āgama discourses and comparative studies of their Pāli parallels, together with two appendices on the relationship between commentary and discourse as well as on the Udāna collection. Topics taken up in the course of the studies are the four noble truths as a diagnostic scheme, concern for the welfare of others, the transfer of merit, humour, Aṅgulimāla, teachings to laity, attitudes towards nuns, arahants and suicide, teaching and awakening, the gender-inclusiveness of the address 'monk', the acrobat simile, mindfulness of breathing, the Buddha's first discourse, self-cremation, and the Buddha's visit to his mother in the Heaven of the Thirty-three.
作者簡介
Bhikkhu Anālayowas born in Germany in 1962 and ordained in Sri Lanka in 1995. He completed a Ph.D. thesis at the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) in 2000 and a habilitation thesis at the University of Marburg (Germany) in 2007. At present he is a professor at the University of Hamburg, Numata Center for Buddhist Studies (Germany), and a researcher at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (Taiwan).
Chan is not necessarily any one thing, nor does Chan affirm or deny anything. However, whatever you need, Chan gives to you.
For regular meditators, this book provides basic sitting meditation techniques. Exceptionally busy people are advised to try and use the Chan cultivation methods in this book to harmonize themselves, and dissolve their attachment to "self." From relaxing the body and mind for as little as three minutes to attending to body and mind throughout daily life, these methods show the simplicity and practicality of expedient Chan methods.--Master Sheng Yen
作者簡介
Master Sheng Yen (1930-2009)
聖嚴法師1930年生於江蘇南通,1943年於狼山出家,後因戰亂投身軍旅,十年後再次披剃出家。曾於高雄美濃閉關六年,隨後留學日本,獲立正大學文學博士學位。1975年應邀赴美弘法。1989年創建法鼓山,並於2005年開創繼起漢傳禪佛教的「中華禪法鼓宗」。
聖嚴法師是一位思想家、作家暨國際知名禪師,曾獲臺灣《天下》雜誌遴選為「四百年來臺灣最具影響力的五十位人士」之一。著作豐富,中、英、日文著作達百餘種,先後獲頒中山文藝獎、中山學術獎、總統文化獎及社會各界的諸多獎項。
聖嚴法師提出「提昇人的品質,建設人間淨土」的理念,主張以大學院、大普化、大關懷三大教育推動全面教育,相繼創辦中華佛學研究所、法鼓佛教學院、僧伽大學、法鼓大學等院校,也以豐富的禪修經驗、正信的佛法觀念和方法指導東、西方人士修行。
法師著重以現代人的語言和觀點普傳佛法,陸續提出「心靈環保」、「四種環保」、「心五四運動」、「心六倫」等社會運動,並積極推展國際弘化工作,參與國際性會談,促進宗教交流,提倡建立全球性倫理,致力世界和平。其寬闊胸襟與國際化視野,深獲海內外肯定。
Master Sheng Yen was born in 1930 and became a monk in 1943. He conducted a six-year solitary retreat, after which he went to Japan for further study and obtained a doctorate in Buddhist literature at Rissho University. In 1975, he began sharing the Dharma in the US, and in 1989, founded the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhism.
He authored more than 100 publications in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and received the Sun Yat-sen Art and Literary Award, the Sun Yat-sen Academic Award, and the Presidential Cultural Award, among other honorary awards.
He proposed the vision of “uplifting the character of humanity and building a pure land on earth,” founded the Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, Dharma Drum Buddhist College, Dharma Drum Sangha University, and Dharma Drum University. Experienced in Chan using correct approaches, he guided practice in both the West and East. Popularizing the Dharma in modern language, the Master initiated movements including Protecting the Spiritual Environment, Four Kinds of Environmentalism, the Fivefold Spiritual Renaissance Campaign, and the Six Ethics of the Mind. He shared the Dharma globally with a broadminded perspective, winning him worldwide recognition.
This is the second volume of proceedings of the Āgama seminars convened by the Āgama Research Group at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (formerly Dharma Drum Buddhist College). On this occasion, the Āgama Research Group met to discuss the early collections of long discourses transmitted by the different Buddhist schools. Thanks to the discovery and ongoing publication of the incomplete Sanskrit Dīrgha-āgama manu¬script from Gilgit, three different versions of the Collec¬tion of Long Discourses are now avail¬able for comparative study: the Pali Dīgha-nikāya transmitted within the Theravāda tradition, the just-mentioned Dīrgha-āgama in Sanskrit, identified as Sar¬vās¬ti-vāda or Mūlasarvāstivāda, and the Chinese translation of an Indic Dīrgha-āgama (長阿含經), generally considered to be affiliated with the Dhar¬ma¬¬guptakas. The six papers collected here focus on research on these various incarnations of the collections of long discourses in comparative perspective.
作者簡介
About the editor:Sāmaṇerī DhammadinnāDharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts
About the contributors:Bhikkhu AnālayoNumata Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg &Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts
Roderick S. BucknellUniversity of Queensland
Toshiichi Endo (遠藤敏一)Centre of Buddhist Studies,The University of Hong KongJens-Uwe HartmannLudwig-Maximilians-Universität of Munich
Jen-jou Hung (洪振洲)Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts
Seishi Karashima (辛嶋靜志)The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhologyat Soka University
To my knowledge there are no anthologies of Ch’an poetry in Chinese, Japanese or English which describe in detail the method of practice and the experience of Ch’an Furthermore, there are few prose sources in English dealing with the same topics On the other hand, there are numerous books in English that relate the episodes of the kung-ans(koans)The prevailing view that comes from reading these stories is that the practice of Ch’an is methodless, and since there is no way to describe the experience of Ch’an, it is suggested that we just go ahead and practice by studying the kung-ans The purpose of these poems is different in that they specifically show you how to practice, what attitudes to cultivate and what pitfalls to beware of Finally, they attempt to describe the ineffable experience of Ch’an itself These poems flow directly from the minds of the enlightened Ch’an masters; we get a glimpse into their experience at the time of, and after their enlightenment In contrast, in reading a kung-an we get an objective story of what happened and we don’t really know what was in their minds. It is my hope that this collection of poems will give those who are interested in the practice a new way of looking at Ch’an and a more balanced view of the scope of Ch’an literature The present selection is offered to make this tradition available to Western readers who may otherwise not be aware of their existence.
Master Sheng-Yen has devoted much of his life to spreading the teachings of Chinese Buddhism—a practice that antedates the more familiar Japanese and Tibetan traditions—throughout the world. He became known in the United States after he began founding meditation centers here in 1980. Now in his late seventies, he tells the remarkable story of his life and spiritual education in FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW. From descriptions of the private world of Buddhist masters to first-hand accounts of Chinese history, it is a rare document that is both an important look at China’s past and a compelling spiritual journey across a lifetime.Sheng-Yen’s story is of a life lived in the last years of the Republic of China, the Sino-Japanese War, and the founding of the People’s Republic of China. An eye-opening slice of modern history as well as an authoritative introduction to an ancient religious tradition, FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW will appeal to spiritual seekers, travelers who want to understand more about China, or anyone looking for a fascinating story.
From The Preface By Dan Stevenson EN. SHENG YEH is a master in the Caodong and Linji lineages of Chan〈Zen〉 school, who for twenty five years now has been guiding students from Taiwan, the United States, and Europe in the practice of Chan Buddhism. Hoofprint of the Ox provides a systematic introduction ─ in Sheng yen,s own words ─ to the principles that inform his particular style of Chan training.... In the final analysis, it is an unabashedly normative work ─ a book on Chan practice addressed to an English speaking audience with a personal interest in Buddhism. To the extent that this audience is also primarily Western, Hoofprint is more than passive report of Sheng yen,s personal convictions. It situates those convictions in responsive relation to specific expectations about Chen practice current among Western students, with specific points to be made.