Inventing Hui-Neng, the Sixth Patriarch: Hagiography and Biography in Early Ch'an: 68 (Sinica Leidensia) - Hardcover

Jorgensen, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9004145087 ISBN 13: 9789004145085

Publisher: Brill, 2005

Synopsis

It was through the propaganda of Shen-hui (684-758) that Hui-neng (d. 710) became the also today still towering figure of sixth patriarch of Ch'an/Zen Buddhism, and accepted as the ancestor or founder of all subsequent Ch'an lineages. The first part of the book analyses the creation of the image of Hui-neng and the worship of a lacquered mummy said to be that of Hui-neng. Using the life of Confucius as a template for its structure, Shen-hui invented a hagiography for the then highly obscure Hui-neng. At the same time, Shen-hui forged a lineage of patriarchs of Ch'an back to the Buddha using ideas from Indian Buddhism and Chinese ancestor worship. The second half of the book examines the production of the hagiographies of Hui-neng , how they evolved, and the importance of ideas about authorship and the role of place. It demonstrates the influence of Confucian thought, politics and the periphery in the growth of early Ch'an hagiography and the changing image of Hui-neng.

About this title

Product Description:

Inventing Hui-Neng, the Sixth Patriarch Divided into two parts, the first part of the book analyses the creation of the image of Hui-neng, and the worship of a lacquered mummy said to be that of Hui-neng. The second half examines the production of the hagiographies of Hui-neng, how they evolved, and the importance of ideas about authorship and the role of place. Full description

About the Author:

John Jorgensen, Ph.D. (1990), Australian National University, is Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies, Griffith University. He has published on Chinese and Korean Buddhism, and Korean new religions.

About this edition

• Publisher: Brill
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 9004145087
• ISBN 13: 9789004145085
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 888