Chinese Buddhism

Christine Mollier reveals in this volume previously unexplored dimensions of the interaction between Buddhism and Taoism in medieval China. While scholars of Chinese religions have long recognized the mutual influences linking the two traditions, Mollier here brings to light their intense contest for hegemony in the domains of scripture and ritual.

It is noteworthy that the two most recent textbooks that bear this title, the current one by Karyn Lai, and one by JeeLoo Liu (2006, Blackwell; also reviewed on NDPR), limit themselves to introducing the reader to early Chinese philosophy (Warring States period through the Han -- roughly 5th century BCE through 3rd century CE) and the early schools of Chinese Buddhism (from ca. 1st through 6th centuries CE).

Since its appearance in China in the third century, the Lotus Sutra has been regarded as one of the most illustrious scriptures in the Mahayana Buddhist canon. The object of intense veneration among generations of Buddhists in China, Korea, Japan, and other parts of East Asia, it has attracted more commentary than any other Buddhist scripture and has had a profound impact on the great works of Japanese and Chinese literature. Conceived as a drama of colossal proportions, the text takes on new meaning in Burton Watson's translation.

Although it is generally believed that the Manchus controlled the Mongols through their patronage of Tibetan Buddhism, scant attention has been paid to the Mongol view of the Qing imperial project. In contrast to other accounts of Manchu rule, Our Great Qing focuses not only on what images the metropole wished to project into Mongolia, but also on what images the Mongols acknowledged themselves. Rather than accepting the Manchu’s use of Buddhism, Johan Elverskog begins by questioning the static, unhistorical, and hegemonic view of political life implicit in the Buddhist explanation. By stressing instead the fluidity of identity and Buddhist practice as processes continually developing in relation to state formations, this work explores how Qing policies were understood by Mongols and how they came to see themselves as Qing subjects.

Christine Mollier reveals in this volume previously unexplored dimensions of the interaction between Buddhism and Taoism in medieval China. While scholars of Chinese religions have long recognized the mutual influences linking the two traditions, Mollier here brings to light their intense contest for hegemony in the domains of scripture and ritual. Drawing on a far-reaching investigation of canonical texts, together with manuscript sources from Dunhuang and the monastic libraries of Japan--many of them studied here for the first time--she demonstrates the competition and complementarity of the two great Chinese religions in their quest to address personal and collective fears of diverse ills, including sorcery, famine, and untimely death.

Within the context of contemporary Western Buddhism, Secrets of the Lotus provides a unique collection of materials on Buddhist meditation. It it includes translations of and commentaries on foundational meditation texts in the Theravada and Japanese Zen traditions:

• The Satipatthana Sutta, the Vimuttimagga, the Zazen-gi with Mumon Yamada Roshi's teisho, and Hakuin's commentary on the Heart Sutra

• A discussion of zazen within the Rinzai tradition by a contemporary Zen Priest (the Rev. Eshin Nishimura);

This complete translation of the original collection of sermons, dialogues, and anecdotes of Huang Po, the illustrious Chinese master of the Tang Dynasty, allows the Western reader to gain an understanding of Zen from the original source, one of the key works in its teachings; it also offers deep and often startling insights into the rich treasures of Eastern thought. Nowhere is the use of paradox in Zen illustrated better than in the teaching of Huang Po, who shows how the experience of intuitive knowledge that reveals to a man what he is cannot be communicated by words.

This book is written primarily for those people who already have a general acquaintance with the history and religions of the Far East, with some particular interest in Chinese history and civilization, and those who desire to know more about the development of Buddhism in China. It also serves as a useful source of collateral readings for courses dealing with the history and culture of China and East Asia.

圆融，乃“中国化”佛学——天台宗、华严宗、禅宗、真言宗等诸宗思想的重要内容，霍韬晦先生认为：绝对与圆融，乃中国佛学的特质，“中国佛教的整个方向都是向圆融之路而趋”。此言可谓如实。圆融，近代以来也曾受到一些学者的批评，认为是中国佛学的一大缺点。从圆融思想的内涵看，其形成虽然不无中国本土儒、道两家思想的制约，而系依据印度大乘经论诠释发挥，处处引经据典，深得大乘精髓，是中印圣者智慧的结晶。在世界各种宗教教义中，圆融思想独树一帜，引人注目，有其独具的价值，对21世纪的人类而言，特具现实意义。

　　一、圆融思想的源流及其哲学义蕴

　　圆融一语，很难找到相对应的梵、巴原语，亦非中国诸子百家古籍中本有的词语，是中国佛教理论家所创造。《辞源》解释：“圆融，佛教语。破除偏执，圆满融通。”圆，《说文》释为“圜全也”，圜则“天体也”，是则“圆”字之义，是像天一样完全。“融”字早见于《左传》等，《辞源》解释有明亮、溶化、流通长远、和谐等义。圆与融组合在一起，字面含义基本为圆满融通，有整体无亏、无滞碍、不偏执、消融一切矛盾、和谐和解的意思。在佛学中，圆融更有其特定的深刻义蕴。《佛光大词典》解释说：