The truth of Chan Buddhism—better known as “Zenâ€â€”is regularly said to be beyond language; and yet Chan authors—medieval and modern—produced an enormous quantity of literature over the centuries. To make sense of this well-known paradox; Patriarchs on Paper explores several genres of Chan literature that appeared during the Tang and Song dynasties (c. 600–1300); including genealogies; biographies; dialogues; poems; monastic handbooks; and koans. Working through this diverse body of literature; Alan Cole details how Chan authors developed several strategies to evoke images of a perfect Buddhism in which wonderfully simple masters transmitted Buddhism’s final truth to one another; suddenly and easily; and; of course; independent of literature and the complexities of the Buddhist monastic system. Chan literature; then; reveled in staging delightful images of a Buddhism free of Buddhism; tempting the reader; over and over; with the possibility of finding behind the thick façade of real Buddhism—with all its rules; texts; doctrines; and institutional solidity—an ethereal world of pure spirit. Patriarchs on Paper charts the emergence of this kind of “fantasy Buddhism†and details how it interacted with more traditional forms of Chinese Buddhism in order to show how Chan’s illustrious ancestors were created in literature in order to further a wide range of real-world agendas.
#120103 in Books imusti 2012-04-23Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .90 x 6.00l; 1.05 #File Name: 0520272919336 pagesUniversity of California Press
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Sad but enlighteningBy ElaineSo sad and enlightening and anger inducing. Read it; you'll learn a lot.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The World of the DisposedBy Michael GriswoldKevin Bales takes the reader on an emotional and heartfelt journey to several places throughout the world including India; Tailand; and Brazil among others where we met people who are being used and then disposed of when they have no use anymore because the man can always get another sex slave from Taiwain or another charcol maker from Brazil because conditions of poverty and a desperate wanting of a better life for their family will always lure more people into the new slavery. I like books that can mix statistics with actual human stories because it is one thing to say x is a problem because xx percent of people live like y. It is quite another to look at a girl like Siri or a family of charcol workers and Brazil and not say that slavery is still a problem.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Awesome book! Super disheartening but an informative view of ...By FeleciaAwesome book! Super disheartening but an informative view of what is going on around the world. There is always a trade off of good bad and Bales elaborates this very notion with ease.
