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Maseo Abe: Zen and Buddhism. The great Kyoto School philosopher looks at Zen and asks the question: "Is Zen Buddhism?" from: Journal of Chinese Philosophy, V. 3.3 (June 1976) pp. 235-252
Wendy L. Adamek: Robes Purple and Gold: Transmission of the Robe in the Lidai fabio ji (Record of the Dharma-Jewel Through the Ages) (pdf) Adamek, of Columbia University, admits that the Lidai fabio ji is a 'self-promoting fiction' but perhaps the text can be used to better understand the contradictions of the 'Southern School' ideology, reflecting "hidden issues involved in Chan polemics of the late eighth century." from History of Religions, 2000
Karen Andrews: A Survey of 12thC Japanese Buddhism Andrews outlines the chaos of this era and how the Buddhist movement developed and then changed towards the end of the century. (Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley)
Martin Baumann: The Dharma Has Come West: a survey of recent studies and sources : The title pretty well tells it all. Here Baumann tries to “point out and discuss existing studies and sources which provide historical information of Buddhist developments in these Western, industrialized countries.” (pdf) from Journal of Buddhist Ethics, Vol.4, 1997
Carl Bielefeldt: Ch'ang-lu Tsung-tse's Tso-ch'an I and the "Secret" of Zen Meditation Bielefeldt looks at "the earliest and in some ways most influential " meditation manual by Ch'ang-lu Tsung-tse of the Northern Sung. He suggests that "in writing his little manual, Tsung-tse broke with what might almost be called a conspiracy of silence about meditation and thereby helped to touch off the Southern Sung discourse on the subject—a discourse that, in one form or another, is still with us today. " from Traditions of Meditation in Chinese Buddhism, Edited by Peter N. Gregory,Kuroda Institute Studies in East Asian Buddhism 4., University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 1986, 129-161.
Carl Bielefeldt and Lewis Lancaster: T'an Ching (Platform Scripture) Bielefeldt and Lancaster give an excellent overview of state of current (1975) translations and scholarship of the Platform Sutra. from Philosophy East and West Vol. 25, No. 2, 1975
G. Buhler: The Discovery of Buddha's Birthplace, This 1897 from The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, February, 1897, is presented as an historical record of the Western exploration of Buddhism in India. original source
Wing-Tsit Chan: Transformation of Buddhism in China Chan looks at the humanistic changes that Buddhism underwent in China: "The Chinese transformation of Buddhism has been a long and complicated process, but it can be summed up in one sentence, namely, "from an Indian religion of non-ego, it has become in China a humanistic religion." from Philosophy East & West, V. 7 No. 3/4 (October 1957 - January 1958) pp. 107-116
Chun-Fang Yu: Ta-hui Tsung-kao and Kung-an Ch'an A useful look at the biography of Ta-hui (Dahui) and his use of koans and hua-t'ou as a Zen practice. Chun-Fang gives quite a good, concise description of the role of koan practice in Zen. Easy reading. from Journal of Chinese Philosophy V. 6 (1979) pp. 211-235
Roger Corless: The Enduring Significance of T’an-luan Corless looks at the neglected Pure Land teacher T'an-luan and discusses how his use of Madhyamika and Yogacara philosophy makes him a great teacher not only in Pure Land, but also in Mahayana. An interesting exploration of T'an-luan philosophy. (pdf) from Pacific World: Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies
Mike Cross: Translations of Aśvaghosa's Buddhacarita and Sundarananda. Aśvaghosa (80 CE?-150?) was a renowned poet and philosopher who became a Buddhist and expounded Mahayana at the 4th Buddhist Council. (pdf)
Henry Cruise: Early Buddhism: some recent misconceptions Cruise looks at how early Buddhists thought about nirvana and causation and criticises some modern scholars about their understanding of these important concepts. An interesting, if a bit dense, article. from Philosophy East and West Volume 33, no.2, 1983
Heinrich Dumoulin: Early Chinese Zen Reexamined: This is a supplementary essay to Doumoulin's seminal work, Zen Buddhism: A History and gives an overview of the Tung-Huaung manuscripts of the early years of Bodhidharma and the beginnings of Zen in China which Dumoulin didn't include in the early editions of his book.
see also: two Introductions to Dumoulin's opus, Zen History — one written by Victor Hori (pdf) and the other by John McRae (pdf)
Faxian: Faxian (Fa-hsien) on Buddhist Kingdoms, ca. 400 translated by James Legge This is a very short excerpt that talks about some of the places Faxian (4th-5th C), one of the earliest Chinese to visit India, visited.
Andy Ferguson: Zen Ancestors in China Lineage Chart (pdf) Author of Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings includes this lineage chart of the 5 Houses of Chinese Zen in his book.
T. Griffith Foulk: Rules of Purity in Japanese Zen Chapter 5 (pdf) of Zen Classics: Formative Texts in the History of Zen Buddhism (ed. Steven Heine & Dale S. Wright ; Oxford University Press, 2005). Foulk outlines the history of the Japanese Zen appropriation and adaptation of Chinese “rules of purity” from the Kamakura period down to the present.
Matthew Gindin: Keeping It Real:Chan and The Pursuit of Experience Gindin looks at early Chinese Chan: "...[the] desire to “keep it real”, to avoid the traps of ossification, mere intellectuality, or worldly enchantments, is one of the main driving forces behind the historical developments of the Chan tradition."
The Bright Field of Spirit: The Life and Teachings of Chan Master Hongzhi Zhengjue: Gidin explores the life and teachings of one of the giants of the Caodong (Soto) school and he discusses Honghzhi's relationship with his critic, Dahui Zonggao of the Linji school.
Peter Gregory: The Sudden/Gradual Polarity: A Recurrent Theme In Chinese Thought Gregory summarizes the papers presented at on "The Sudden/Gradual Polarity: A Recurrent Theme in Chinese Thought" during the weekend of May 22-24, 1981. from Journal Of Chinese Philosophy Vol.9 1982
Victor Soren Hori: Zen Sand - Preface Hori discusses how Zen Sand came to be and those that helped him over the years to put it together.
Zen Sand Introduction:This is the entire 97-page introduction to Hori's book. (pdf) It deals with the use of koans and capping phrases in Rinzai practice. This is fabulous! Well worth reading if you're interested in koan study. Highly recommended. Victor Hori's personal account of translating Zen Sand (pdf) is also of interest and was written before the book was published. My review of this book is here.
Introduction --- Zen History, Vol. 2: This is Hori's introduction to Dumoulin's second volume of Zen History. An interesting essay. (pdf)
Linda Brown Holt: From India to China: Transformations in Buddhist Philosophy Holt examines how Buddhism transformed when it left India and entered China. The two diverse languages had a significant role in the transformation.
Scott Hurley: The Doctrinal Transformation of 20th Century Chinese Buddhism: Master Yinshun's interpretation of the tathagatagarbha doctrine Hurley looks at Master Yinshun's (b. 1906) understanding of the tathagataharbha and concludes that this doctrine is 'expedient means' teaching. Hurley gives a good explanation of the doctrine and contrasts it with Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika doctrine of emptiness. Well worth reading. from Contemporary Buddhism, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2004
John Kieschnick: The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture This is the introductory chapter of Kieschnick's book The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture, Princton University Press, 2003
Takasaki Jikidõ: The Tathāgatagarbha Theory Reconsidered: Reflections on Some Recent Issues in Japanese Buddhist Studies (pdf) A quite technical brief investigation into the contoversial Tathāgatagarbha Theory and some of its historical antecedents. from Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 2000, 27/1-2
Ven. Jian Hu : Lecture 2: The Illiterate Prodigy: Sixth Patriarch Huineng Stories of the early years of Chinese Zen. (pdf)
Stanford University’s “Buddhism in the Modern World” Series, 1/26/2006,
James E. Ketelaar: The Non-Modern Confronts The Modern: Dating The Buddha In Japan This paper examines the emergence of a distinctively "modern" style of history and some of its uses as applied to Buddhism by Buddhist scholars within the early Meiji Period in Japan. By showing the methods and accomplishments of modernist historians, and the concomitant slippage of non-modern categories in their work, this paper sketches a method of analysis particularly applicable to the intersection of religion and history. (pdf) from History and Theory, Theme Issue 45 (December 2006), 62-79
Livia Knaul: Chuang-Tzu and the Chinese Ancestry of Ch'an Buddhism Knaul looks at the Chinese influences on Ch'an, such as Taosim an Confusionism. "In regarding the development of Ch'an Buddhism much emphasis has traditionally been placed on its Indian background. Of course, it has been recognized that the Indian sources passed through a process of translation and adaptation to the Chinese, but what exactly the native soil was in which the Buddhist seeds fell has not been analyzed all too clearly." from Journal of Chinese Philosophy Vol.13 (1986) p.411-428
Legends in Ch'an: the Northern/Southern Split, Hui-neng and the Platform Sutra Was there ever a verse-writing competition between Hui-neng and Shen-Hsiu? This crucial story, related in the Platform Sutra, is at the heart of the Northern/Southern school split and established Hui-neng as the Sixth Patriarch. My essay looks at the historical record. (Browse this page to find more about the Northern/Southern teachings and history)
Yasutani Hakuun Roshi - a biographical note. This is an excerpt from a M. A. thesis in Asian Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. Gives a brief outline of Yasutani Roshi, an important Japanese Zen teacher who promoted lay practice in Japan and America.
Whalen Lai
Buddhism in China: a Historical Survey I think the title says it all.James Legge (transl.): A Record of Buddhistic KingdomsBeing an Account by the Chinese Monk Fa-Hien of his Travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in Search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline Translated and annotated with a Corean recension of the Chinese originally published by Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1886 Original Source
Ch'an metaphors: Waves, water, mirror, lamp Lai looks at three key metaphors used in Zen and finds them in the Lankaavataara Suutra, the Awakening of Faith and the Platform Sutra. Excellent essay for those wondering where some key metaphors began. from Philosophy East & West; Vol. 29, no.3, July, 1979, pp245-253
Ma-Tsu Tao-I And The Unfolding Of Southern Zen: here Lai looks at the influence of Ma-tsu in Zen and the dynamics of mind-to-mind Zen as perfected by this great master. from Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 12/2-3
Michael P Levine: Can the Concept of Enlightenment Evolve? "...examines whether all evolution of the concept of enlightenment is best seen as interpretive variation rather than as embodying real notional change...It is implausible to suppose that... enlightenment has not evolved". Levine also argues that as literal interpretations of the Bible are incorrect, likewise a similar interpretation of Buddhist scriptures. from Asian Philosophy, Vol 13, Nos.2/3, 2001 pp115-129
Charles Luk (Upasaka Lu K'uan): This is Luk's translation of the Hsin Hsin Ming - Have Faith in Your Mind, a gatha written by of Seng T'san, Third Chan Patriarch of China. For a full discussion on this important text, see this site . Includes translations by Prof. Dusan Pajin, Daisetsu Teitarõ Suzuki and Richard B. Clark
John Maraldo: Is There Historical Consciousness Within Chan? Much of Ch'an history was written for reasons other than historical accuracy. Maraldo looks at some interpretations of modern historians of Ch'an and believes we should "identify the interests of the
contemporary historian before seeking a direct answer [about historicity] in the
sources being studied." Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 12/2-3
John McRae: The Antecedents of Encounter Dialogue in Chinese Ch'an Buddhism McRae looks at where and how the dialogues between Zen master and student began. These dialogues often ended up being koans. Very interesting essay. See also book review: Seeing through Zen
McRae has also written an interesting Introduction to Vol. 1 of Heinrich Dumoulin's Zen History.
Well worth reading.
Charles Muller: East Asian Apocryphal Scriptures: Their Origin and Role in the Development of Sinitic Buddhism Muller looks at apocryphal texts and their role in the development of Chinese Buddhism.
Japanese Zen Schools and the Transition to Meiji: A Plurality of Responses in the Nineteenth Century This article scrutinizes the lives of specific figures affiliated with the three main Zen traditions; it presents firsthand information on their activities from the end of the Tokugawa period through the first decades of the Meiji era.
Zen Buddhism During the Tokugawa Period: The Challenge to Go Beyond Sectarian Consciousness: This essay will attempt to sketch an overall view of Tokugawa period sectarian consciousness as expressed in the relations between the various obediences of what is popularly called “the Zen sect,”
namely the Sõtõ, Rinzai, and Õbaku schools. from: Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1994 21/4
Elizabeth Morrison: The Logic and Limits of the Genealogical Model for Chan History Morrison gives an overview of the historical writings of the Northern Song Chan monk Mingjiao Qisong (1007-1072) with the aim of analyzing the use of lineage as a device for organizing historical
information and examining some of the assumptions implicit in Chan historiography. An interesting essay on the development of early Chan lineage writings.
Biswadeb Mukherjee: The Riddle of the First Buddhist Council - A Retrospection A highly academic article about "The historic nature of the Cullavagga XI account, specially the episode of chanting the dhamma and vinaya, [which] has been denied either because of the silence of the MPS about the chanting, or due to the internal contradictions supposed to be existing between the different episodes narrated in the Cullavagga XI. " from: Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, No.7, pp.449~473(1994)
Jan Nattier: The Heart Sutra: A Chinese Apocryphal Text? Nattier explores the origins of the Heart Sutra, one of the most important Buddhist texts. He concludes that this text was translated from the Chinese to Sanskrit rather than the other way round. from The Journal of the Interntional Association of Buddhist Studies, Vol 15, No. 2 1992
Eshin Nishimura: Practical Principle Of Hakuin Zen Examined in the Text By His Disciple Tourei-Enji : the title says it all.
Gudo Nishijima: Japanese Buddhism and the Meiji Restoration: Nishijima discusses the effects of the Meiji Restoration on Japanese Buddhism. Includes Nishijima's introduction to Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika, which Nishijima claims is "identical to the theories of Dogen".
Kang-nam Oh: The Taoist Influence on Hua-yen Buddhism: A Case of the Sinicization of Buddhism in China . "The religio-philosophical system presented by the Hua-yen Buddhist school of China was characteristically "Chinese" in the sense that it was not merely extensions of Indian Buddhist ideas but the reinterpretations and restatements of Buddhist thought within distinctively Chinese modes of thought and expression. Hua-yen, in this sense, was a "sinicized" Buddhism. The paper argues that the Taoist philosophy was one, possibly the most important, influence on this process. The paper tries to prove this by exploring specifically four major Hua-yen concepts derived from the Taoist tradition: hsuan (mystery), "returning to the source," t'i-yung (essence and function), and li-shih (noumenon and phenomenon)." from Chung-Haw Buddhist Journal No.13.2 (May 2000)
Mario Poceski: Attitudes Towards Canonicity and Religious Authority in Tang Chan Poceski explores the use of standard Buddhist scriptures in early Chan which enabled Chan to take a central role in Chinese Buddhism. Poceski refutes the standard interpretation of Chan as being "outside the scriptures". Very interesting essay.
Mario Poceski: Conceptions and Attitudes towards Contemplative Practice within the Early Traditions of Chan Buddhism "This article explores, in fairly broad terms, the main attitudes and approaches to meditative theory and praxis that developed within the early Chan tradition, with a focus on the Tang era....The article surveys the formative development of major models of meditation that developed within various Chan milieus, and their relationship to canonical sources and mainstream Buddhist thought before and during the Tang era." from Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies (2015, 28: 67–116)
Gary L. Ray: The Northern Ch'an School And Sudden Versus Gradual Enlightenment
Debates In China And Tibet Ray trawls over the sudden/gradual debate and the famous debate in Tibet which resulted in Indian, as opposed to Chinese, Buddhism dominating. Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley
Ishikawa Rikizan: The Social Response of Buddhists to the Modernization of Japan:
The Contrasting Lives of Two Soto Zen Monks Rikizan looks at the lives of two Japanese Soto priests, Takeda Hanshi and Uchiyama Guddo, and how they reacted to Japanese nationalism and militarism. One was praised for his stance and the other executed for treason. As Rikizan points out, "We are also in a situation where
we are personally faced with choices with regard to current problems, from welfare policies that abandon the weakest members of society, to the corruption of the political world，to problems of our environment.
In a sense we are in a similar situation to that of Uchiyama and Takeda, and are reproducing their choices" from Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 1998 25/1-2
Tansen Sen: In Search of Longevity and Good Karma: Chinese Diplomatic Missions to Middle India in the Seventh Century Sen looks at some important Tang Dynasty missions to India, including the famous Xuanzang (Hsuan Tseng) 19-year mission.
from Journal of World History, Vol 12 No. 1
Robert H. Sharf: The Zen of Japanese Nationalism Sharf asks, "How was it that the West came to conceive of Zen in terms of a transcendent or "unmediated" personal experience? And why are Western[ers] so eager to embrace this distortion in the face of extensive historical and ethnographic evidence to the contrary?" A highly critical study of D. T. Suzuki and the transmission of Japanese Zen to the West. An important essay all Zen students should read. source: History of Religions
Related readings:
book review, Of Heretics and Martyrs in Meiji Japan: Buddhism and Its Persecution
Sharf: Sanbõkyõdan
Zen and the Way of the New Religions
Sharf: Whose Zen? Zen Nationalism Revisited
Sharf: Sanbõkyõdan: Zen and the Way of the New Religions
Mind and Mindlessness in Early Chan:
In attempting to examine just what the early Buddhists did in meditation, Sharf discovers that the notion of "mindfulness" plays a central role in Buddhist meditation practices. He suggests "possible
sociological parallels between the rise of the Buddhist mindfulness movement in the twentieth century and the emergence of Chan in the medieval period." from Philosophy East & West Volume 64, Number 4 October 2014 933–964
Morten Schlütter: Transmission and Enlightenment in Chan Buddhism Seen Through the Platform Sūtra (Liuzu tanjing 六祖壇經)Tthis paper discusses developments in the conceptualization of transmission and enlightenment in the Platform Sutra's main line of development, beginning with the earliest version found at Dunhuang leading down to the orthodox version included in the Taishō canon. source: Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, no. 20, pp. 379～410 (2007)
Hu Shih: Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism in China
Hu reveals how Ch'an developed from a simple Buddhist religion to an iconoclastic sect. He explains the role of Shen-hui in making Hui-neng the sixth patriarch and discusses why some Ch'an rhetoric seems "illogical" and unfathomable. Very interesting essay from early Ch'an studies which laid a strong foundation for scholars who followed. This began a famous debate about the role of Zen history between Hu and D. T. Suzuki. from Philosophy East and West, Vol.. 3, No. 1, January, 1953
Ishii Shūdō &
Albert Welter look at the formation and history of Mumonkan (Wu-men kuan) koan collection. The Wu-men kuan (J. Mumonkan)
The Formation, Propagation, and Characteristics of a Classic Zen Kōan Text is an excellent essay for those interested in the history of this text.
Ven. Sheng-yen: The Platform Saatra of the Sixth Patriarch translated by Yu Chun-fang from: Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal no.5 July 1992 Chung-Hwa Insitute of Buddhist Studies . Sheng-yen offers an analysis of this seminal text “synthesizing the key points”. This translation is a little patchy.
see also Philip Yampolsky's translation of the Tun-hung text of the Platform Sutra
see also Wong Mou-Lam's translation (1929), updated 1952 by Christmas Humphreys
Koichi Shinohara The Kasaya Robe of the Past Buddha Kasyapa in the Miraculous Instruction Given to the Vinaya Master Daoxuan (596-667) Shinohara examines the passages on the robe Kaa`syapa Buddha handed over to `Saakyamuni in Daoxuan's visionary experience as written up in the Daoxuan lushi gantonglu and the Zhong Tianzhu Sheweiguo Zhihuansi tujing and discusses the soteriological discourses on the robe. He concludes with comments on the possible significance of this discussion in the light of the prominent role that the account of the transmission of Bodhidharma's robe played in early Chan. from Chung-Haw Buddhist Journal
No.13.2 (May 2000)
D. T. Suzuki: The First Buddhist Council. Suzuki summarised a variety of Chinese sources regarding the First Buddhist Council to give "some insight into the nature of the First Convocation as well as into the attitude assumed towards it by different schools of Buddhism." from The Monist, Volume XIV, 1904
Charles W Swain: The Emergence of Ch'an Buddhism: a revisionist perspective "The purpose of this essay is to examine the emergence of Ch'an Buddhism as a separate and distinct sect in China . The argument is NOT that the traditions concerning this emergence are unreliable, but rather that attention to the historical context of their compilation may help to explain some of the distinctive features of Ch'an as a sect of Chinese Buddhism. I will attempt to distinguish the Ch'an traditions from the emergence of Ch'an as a separtate sect of Chinese Buddhism. It may be that some features of the traditional history of the Ch'an sect are a reconstruction, after the fact, for apologetic purposes." A rather simplistic outline of Ch'an history. from: Chung- Hwa Buddhist Journal vol.2/Oct, 1988 P.391-399
Paul Swanson: Ch'an and Chih-Kkuan: T'ien-T'ai Chi-i's View of "Zen" and the Practice of the Lotus Sutra . Swanson gives a nice thumbnail sketch of Bodhidharma's contemporary, Chi-i's method of Buddhist practice which sought a balance between zazen and contemplation leading to realization. Why They Say Zen Is Not Buddhism: Recent Japanese Critiques of Buddha-Nature. This is Part One of a series of essays The What and Why of Critical Buddhism.
John M. Thompson: Particular and Universal: Problems posed by Shaku Soen's "Zen" Thompson looks at a significant but largely neglected Zen teacher. Soen was instrumental in introducing Zen to America at World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 and was a teacher of DT Suzuki. Thompson explores Soen's 'mystical' side. Worth reading if you are interested in early Western Zen.
Jian Tao: The Role of History in Chan/Zen Enlightenment Tao discusses the tension between understanding Zen through an historicial interpretation and Zen as ahistorical essentialism. Tao uses Dale Wright's book Philosophical Meditations on Zen Buddhism as a guide through which the discussion takes place. from: Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy December 2004, Vol. IV, No. 1
Audrey Truschke: The Power Of The Islamic Sword In Narrating The Death Of Indian Buddhism Truschke looks at the trope that it was the Muslim invasion that destroyed Indian Buddhism. She seeks "to analyze
assumptions about the decline of Buddhism in its homeland and thereby better position future scholars to free themselves from the ideological baggage that has hampered investigation of this topic for decades." from History of Religions, University of Chicago Press, 2018
Brian Victoria
: Counting-the-Cost-of-Buddhist-Syncretism
Brian Victoria is well-known for pointing out some of the serious flaws in Zen Buddhism, especially in regards to Japanese Zen. Here he explores how Zen Buddhism, noted for its tolerance of other faiths, became changed by adaptating to the social and religious melieu it found itself in when moving to other countries, especially Japan and Zen's adaptation to the indigenous religion of Shinto.
from Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, 2018 (15) 55-77
Albert Welter:
The Disputed Place Of "A Special Transmission" Outside The Scriptures in Ch'an. “The purpose of the present investigation is to inquire into the origins of these slogans and the way they came to represent the Ch'an tradition of Bodhidharma, highlighting the disputed position of Ch'an as ’A special transmission outside the scriptures’ in Sung discourse.”
The Textual History of the Linji lu (Record of Linji): The Earliest Recorded Fragments "The story of the Linji lu is not the story of one man, Linji Yixuan. It is the story of a movement. The success of this movement contains the story of the success of Chan. In brief, my research on the Linji lu will not be set against the background of Linji the man and the style of Zen he represented, but will look at the Linji lu in light of the success of Chan." An interesting essay on a great master's legacy.
The Formation of the Linji lu: An Examination of the Guangdeng lu/Sijia yulu and Linji Huizhao Chanshi yulu Versions of the Linji lu in Historical Context Welter looks at the origins of the Linji lu and outlines how this text and the master became one of Chan's illustrious champions.
The problem with orthodoxy in Zen Buddhism: Yongming Yanshou’s notion of zong in the Zongjin lu (Records of the Source Mirror) Welter questions who/what determines what Zen is. "The study suggests how the definition of contemporary Zen orthodoxy has been dominated by representatives from the “rhetorical ” Zen tradition, creating a disjuncture between our intellectual understanding of Zen and the principles guiding its actual practice." Studies in Religion / Sciences Religieuse Vol 31, 1, 2002
John C. H. Wu: Zen: its origin and its significance. This is the first chapter of John Wu's The Golden Age of Zen: Zen Masters of the T'ang Dynasty. original source: www.worldwisdom.com
Dale S Wright:
Emancipation from what? The concept of freedom in classical Ch'an Buddhism Wright "attempts to articulate an understanding of the goal of ‘freedom' in classical Ch'an Buddhism by setting concerns for 'liberation' in relation to the kinds of authority and regulated structure characteristic of Sung dynasty Ch'an monasteries" and "examines classical Ch'an rhetoric and practices in an effort to reconceive what ‘freedom' might have meant in this context and concludes with a proposal for this reconception." from Asian Philosophy, Vol 3 No.2 1993
Rethinking Transcendence: The Role of Language in Zen Experience Wright questions whether enlightenment "stands altogether beyond the shaping power of language and culture". He also looks at the role language played in the origins and development of the monsastic community, a community that made the Zen experience of awakening possible. Very interesting essay for those that see the Zen experience "not dependent on language and texts". Is that true? from Philosophy East and West, vol 42, no 1, January 1992
Historical Understanding: The Ch'an Buddhist Transmission Narratives and Modern Historiography Wright discusses the differences between classical Ch'an's interest in hisory and compares it with modern historical practices. Wright finds that early Ch'an historians considered themselves participants rather than merely recorders of their history. from History & Theory,Vol 31, Issue 1, pp.37-46, 1992
The Hunag-po Literature: Wright analyzes the two major collections of Huang-po's teachings from a historical, literary and philosophical perspectiave and summarizes the teachings. An excellent study! from The Zen Cannon (2004) OUP
Robert B.Zeuschner: The understanding of mind in the Northern line of Ch'an (Zen) Zeuschner explores how early Ch'an of the so-called ‘Northern School' understood the nature of “pure mind” and “defiled mind”. An interesting essay from: Philosophy East and West V. 28, No. 1,1978
Michael Zimmermann: Only a Fool Becomes a King: Buddhist Stances on Punishment While it is a king's duty to punish evildoers and protect his subjects, how does a Buddhist king reconcile the need to punish with the Buddhist doctrine of non-violence? Zimmerman explores these questions: "what will be the karmic fruition in regard to his participation in punishment? Does he by this infringement of the principle of non-violence (ahimsā) accrue negative consequences in this and his future lives? Or will the fact that he is performing it for some assumed benefit for society, as an inevitable act, absolve him of any unwholesome consequences?" from: Buddhism and violence / edited by, Michael Zimmermann with the assistance of Chiew Hui Ho and Philip Pierce. Lumbini : Lumbini International Research Institute, 2006
