The Biographies and the Recorded Sayings from Jiaxing Tripitaka of Bhikkhuni Zen Masters, Qiyuan Xinggang and Her Disciples in the Ming-Qing Transitional Period
Mee-Cho Seung
Korean Institute for Buddhist Studies August 31, 2023 DOI: 10.34275/kibs.2023.59.105 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key points | Argues that the Records of Sayings of Qiyuan Xinggang, Yigong, and Yikui Chaochen document the nuns' experiences of enlightenment, Dharma-heir authority, Zen-center and stupa construction, and disciplinary maintenance of the lineage, and that their inclusion in the Jiaxing Tripitaka marks the only period in which bhikkhunis' writings were included in the Tripitaka. Yigong's three requests to Yikui—constructing their teacher's stupa, publishing her Records of Sayings, and establishing precepts at the Zen center—are presented as the material and spiritual basis of the bhikkhuni community. |
Abstract
Qiyuan Xinggang was the leader of the earliest of the golden periods of the bhikkhuni zen masters in the late 17th century. Qiyuan Xinggang transmitted Dharma to her female disciples, making important achievements in forming a female lineage. Not only Qiyuan Xinggang but also her two disciples, Yigong and Yikui Chaochen's Records of Sayings, were all included in the Jiaxing Tripitaka. This era is the only case in which the writings of the bhikkhunis were included in the Tripitaka, showing the importance of these texts. In this study, the lives and activities of bhikkhuni zen master Qiyuan Xingang and her female disciples, Yigong and Yikui Chaochen were examined through Complete Books of the Five Lamps and their Records of Sayings from Jiaxing Tripitaka. The Records of Sayings can be regarded not only as a guide to how to practice zen buddhist meditation, but also as a complex text showing the cultural phenomena. I wanted to look at what experiences these bhikkhunis tried to convey through the Records of Sayings, and also to infer the context of the zen practice culture of these bhikkhuni zen masters. I reinterpreted what was analyzed as the characteristics of the Records of Sayings of these bhikkhuni zen masters as the contents of the experience they wanted to convey. The contents are as follows. The specific process to gain enlightenment, securing authority as a Dharma heir, the construction process of building zen centers and stupa, and the importance of discipline to maintain Dharma lineage. And they also boldly introduced the evaluation of their teacher at the time. The three things bhikkhuni Yigong asked bhikkhuni Yikui to do was as follows. Construction of a stupa of their teacher, publication of the her Records of Sayings, and establishment of a precepts in zen center. These were the material and spiritual basis of the bhikkhuni community of their zen center, and it was also the result of their experience. The significance of the Records of Sayings of Qiyuan Xingang and her disciples can be found in the fact that their experiences like this as a bhikkhuni zen master have been recorded and delivered.
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