The Zen of Mahāvairocana, Or: Does Bodhidharma’s Nose Preach the Dharma?: Reconsidering the Taxonomy of Zen in Medieval Japan
This paper addresses the relationship between Zen and tantric or esoteric Buddhism in premodern Japan from the point of view of the Buddhas and Buddha bodies considered to be preaching these two traditions. After surveying theories on the dharmakāya teaching already present in Chinese Buddhism, it c...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2021
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| In: |
Journal of Chan Buddhism
Year: 2021, Volume: 3, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 68-106 |
| Further subjects: | B
Embryology
B Zen B Enni 圓爾 (1202–1280) B kōan 公案 interpretation B Chikotsu Daie 癡兀大慧 (1229–1312) B esoteric / tantric Buddhism B hosshin seppō 法身説法 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | This paper addresses the relationship between Zen and tantric or esoteric Buddhism in premodern Japan from the point of view of the Buddhas and Buddha bodies considered to be preaching these two traditions. After surveying theories on the dharmakāya teaching already present in Chinese Buddhism, it considers the development of this doctrinal notion in the Japanese tantric traditions. The paper demonstrates that this tantric discourse on the Buddha as preacher provided thinkers such as Enni 圓爾 (1202–1280) and Chikotsu Daie 癡兀大慧 (1229–1312) with a framework to integrate Zen into a tantric world. Eventually, and under the influence of embryological motifs circulating widely in medieval Buddhism, Zen practitioners came to establish their own theories on the human as Buddha body. The paper concludes that medieval Zen and medieval tantric Buddhism should be considered sister movements. |
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| ISSN: | 2589-7179 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Chan Buddhism
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/25897179-12340017 |