The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen (Philip E. Lilienthal Book)

The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen (Philip E. Lilienthal Book)

In the early part of this century, the discovery of a walled-up cave in northwest China led to the retrieval of a lost early Ch'an (Zen) literature of the T'ang dynasty (618-907). One of the recovered Zen texts was a seven-piece collection, the Bodhidharma Anthology . Of the numerous texts attributed to Bodhidharma, this anthology is the only one generally believed to contain authentic Bodhidharma material. Jeffrey L. Broughton provides a reliable annotated translation of the Bodhidharma Anthology along with a detailed study of its nature, content, and background. His work is especially important for its rendering of the three Records, which contain some of the earliest Zen dialogues and constitute the real beginnings of Zen literature. The vivid dialogues and sayings of Master Yuan, a long-forgotten member of the Bodhidharma circle, are the hallmark of the Records . Master Yuan consistently criticizes reliance on the Dharma, on teachers, on meditative practice, and on scripture, all of which lead to self-deception and confusion, he says. According to Master Yuan, if one has spirit and does not seek anything, including the teachings of Buddhism, then one will attain the quietude of liberation. The boldness in Yuan's utterances prefigures much of the full-blown Zen tradition we recognize today. Broughton utilizes a Tibetan translation of the Bodhidharma Anthology as an informative gloss on the Chinese original. Placing the anthology within the context of the Tun-huang Zen manuscripts as a whole, he proposes a new approach to the study of Zen, one that concentrates on literary history, a genealogy of texts rather than the usual genealogy of masters. His name comes up in mentions of Zen's misty past, but without any writings or authentication, modern authors have often referred to Bodhidharma as semilegendary. In 1935, D.T. Suzuki had rummaged through a number of newly discovered Zen texts dating back over a thousand years, but not until recently did scholars agree that some may contain the words of Bodhidharma himself. Now Jeffrey Broughton has brushed off the dust for the English reading world. In question-and-answer style anticipating later Zen classics like the Lin-Chi Lu ( Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi ), Bodhidharma fields questions from his students on dharma, the mind, and reality. Vintage Zen iconoclasm permeates every line as dharmas are dispensed with and scriptures shot down. A rock painted with a Buddhist image is still just a rock. Just so, reality is just reality. A previously unknown student of Bodhidharma, one Master Yuan, shows himself to be a worthy adept, equal to the more well-known Hui-kuo, who also appears. The actual Bodhidharma texts are quite brief, with the bulk of this work consisting of Broughton's scholarly introduction, commentary, appendices, and translations of related finds. --Brian Bruya "These original documents are crucial for understanding East Asian Buddhist development. Professor Broughton's analysis of the material provides a new and refreshing look at the tradition which was focused on meditation and the ancient lineage of Bodhidharma. . . . We can be grateful that the translations are accompanied by a detailed study that gives the reader access to the social and cultural events of the time."—Lewis Lancaster, University of California, Berkeley "These original documents are crucial for understanding East Asian Buddhist development. Professor Broughton's analysis of the material provides a new and refreshing look at the tradition which was focused on meditation and the ancient lineage of Bodhidharma. . . . We can be grateful that the translations are accompanied by a detailed study that gives the reader access to the social and cultural events of the time."―Lewis Lancaster, University of California, Berkeley Jeffrey L. Broughton is Professor of Religious Studies at California State University, Long Beach.