Ch’an and mysticism in later times
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies November 1, 1985 DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.12.4.1985.299-317 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Key points | The article presents the traditional account of Bodhidharma as the South Indian monk who brought Ch'an practice to China, reportedly meditating facing a wall at Shao-lin for nine years and dying in either 528 or 536. It suggests that Ch'an arose during the breakup of China's centralized, unified state, and that Daruma dolls are based on the wall-gazing legend. |
Abstract
Hajime the practice of C h !an was brought to China by the South Indian monk Bodhidharma.He was the third prince of the King of Gandhakutl, studied under and adopted the tradition of Prajftatara, and at sixteen years of age took the sea route to China, arriving around 470 at the Southern border of the Sung.He appears to have journeyed to Wei before 516.According to the legend, upon being summoned by Liang Wu-ti，he went to Nanking, but, knowing the time was not ripe for propagating his teaching, he left forthwith and went to the Shao-lin temple on Mount C h T ung where he remained in meditation facing a wall for nine years.He died in the second year of Ta-t!u n g , 大通 i.e.， 528; or, according to another theory, the second year of Ta-t!ung 大 同 ，i.e.536.He was called the Master of the Universal Dharma and was revered as the founder of Ch*an in China.The widely popular Daruma-dolls are based on the legend that, facing the wall in zazen, he never neglected practice.It is interesting to note that one of the determining factors of C h fan is the fact that it appeared during the breakup of the centralized, unified state in China.The movement of the Huns from the central part of the Eurasian continent took advantage of the collapse of centralized, unified states in both the East and the Translated by John P, Keenan.Second in a three-part series of articles.Taken from Chusei shiso 2: Sekai shisoshi 中世思想 2 .