Table of Contents
- Re: Query> Ocean of Samsara in Chinese, Indian or Central Asian pre-Tang iconography
- Conference> March 28-31: U of Arizona: Creating the World of Chan/ Sŏn /Zen: Chinese Chan Buddhism and its Spread throughout East Asia
Re: Query> Ocean of Samsara in Chinese, Indian or Central Asian pre-Tang iconography
by Ming Wen
Hi Etienne,
I have found one example through a dissertation by Nobuyoshi Yamabe which treats the Sutra on the Ocean-like Samadhi (Guanfo sanmei hai jing, 觀佛三昧海經) titled "The Sutra on the Ocean-like Samadhi of the Visualization of the Buddha: The Interfusion of the Chinese and Indian Cultures in Central Asia as Reflected in a Fifth Century Apocryphal Sutra" and translates as follows:
"One should reflect on the lotus-like face of the Lord who has taken form here [in this world] out of the compassionate mind to [his] servants; the pure cheek illuminated by the swinging and shining Makara(61)-shaped earrings; the great nose; [...]
The superior gaze of his eyes cast out of compassion in order to soothe the extremely fearful threehold torments one should meditate for along time through extended meditation in the heart on the great favor accompanied by loving smile;
The noble laughter of Hari drying up the ocean of tears of the vehement grief of the all prostrating people; the round brows formed by his own illusion (maya) to stupefy Makaradhvaja(63) for the same of sages."
(61) N[ame] of a kind of mythological sea-monster, often confounded with the crocodile although represented with a fish's tail and (often) an elephant's trunk. (Iconographic Dictionary of the Indian Religions, s.v. "makara")
(63) ('Having a makara upon his banner'), epithet of Kama (IDIR, s.v. "Makaradhvaja")
Hope this helps,
Ming Wen
East Asian Studies, University of Arizona
Conference> March 28-31: U of Arizona: Creating the World of Chan/ Sŏn /Zen: Chinese Chan Buddhism and its Spread throughout East Asia
by Albert Welter
Dear Colleagues,The University of Arizona announces an upcoming conference, preceded by the Inaugural Ceremony for the Center for Buddhist Studies at University of Arizona. Guests are welcome. For questions or further information, please contact Dr. Jiang Wu (Director, Center for Buddhist Studies; jiangwu@email.arizona.edu) or Dr. Albert Welter (Head, Department of East Asian Studies, and conference orgainizer; awelter@email.arizona.edu). The schedule of proceedings is appended below.
Creating the World of Chan/ Sŏn /Zen:
Chinese Chan Buddhism and its Spread throughout East Asia
March 28-31, University of Arizona
Sponsors: American Council of Learned Societies (Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation)
Fo Guang University
Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies
Sheng Yen Educational Foundation
Hosted by Department of East Asian Studies & Center for Buddhist Studies
March 28 (Wednesday)
5:00–8:00 (Poetry Center)
Center for Buddhist Studies Inaugural Ceremony
Khyentse Foundation Lecture # 1, Master Guangquan (Lingyin Monastery, Hangzhou):
“Telling the Story of Chinese Buddhism: Promoting exchange and mutual learning among civilizations”
March 29 (Thursday)
9:00-11:15 (Old Main, Silver & Sage)
Session # 1: Foundations of Chan/Sŏn/Zen Buddhism: Geographical, Intellectual & Theoretical Considerations
- Shūdō Ishii (Professor Emeritus of Komazawa University), “An Intellectual History of Kōan: An Initial Study”
- John Jorgensen (LaTrobe University), “The Spread of Buddhism as Glimpsed Through the Lens of Language”
- Master Guangquan (Lingyin Monastery, Hangzhou), “On the spread of Buddhism in the Southern Song Dynasty: Focusing on Hangzhou”
- Albert Welter (University of Arizona), “Repositioning Chan/ Sŏn/ Zen Buddhist Studies: The Hangzhou Region and the Spread of East Asian Buddhism”
Session # 2: Song Dynasty Chan and its Influences
- Guodong Feng (Zhejiang University), “Buddhist Immigration in Song Dynasty”
- George Keyworth (University of Saskatchewan), “The Lute, Lyric Poetry, and Literary Arts in Chinese Chan and Japanese Zen Buddhism”
- Jason Protas (Brown University), “Challenges to Conceptions of Song Dynasty Wenzi Chan”
- Yi-hsun Huang (Fo Guang University), “Chan Isn’t Just Meditation: The Role of Zhizheng zhuan 智證傳 in Chan Buddhism”
- Gaoxing Qiu (China Jiliang University), “Relationship between Dahui Zonggao and monks & layman from the perspective of social network”
Session # 3: Chinese Chan Dynamics
- Jiang Wu (University of Arizona), “Performing Authenticity: Li Zhi 李贄 (1527-1602), Chan Buddhism, and the Rise of Textual Spirituality”
- Chen-kuo Lin (National Chengchi University), “How a Chan Buddhist copes with the method of hetū-vidyā? – A case study of Miyun Yuanwu (1566-1642) in the debate on the Thesis on No-Motion of Things”
- Ken Hollaway (Florida Atlantic University), “Searching for Zen Roots: from Guodian to Vimalakirti”
March 30 (Friday)
9:00–12:30 (Old Main, Silver & Sage)
Session # 4: Transmissions to Korea & Japan and Beyond
- Morten Schlütter (University of Iowa), “The Transmission of the Platform Sūtra to Korea and Japan”
- Juhn Ahn (University of Michigan), “The Origins of the Public Chan or Sŏn Monastery in Korea: The Monk Tamjin and his Impact on Sŏn Buddhism”
- Steven Heine (Florida International University), “Yuanwu Keqin’s Chinese Chan Influence on the Formation of Early Japanese Zen”
- Steffen Döll (Hamburg University), “A Single Golden Dragon up my Sleeve: Chinese Emigrant Masters in Japan, 1246–1317”
- Sungwook Kim (Columbia University), “From Center to Peripheries: Encounter Between Sŏn Buddhism and Popular Religions in Late Chosŏn Korea”
- Kirill Solonin (Renmin University), “Hongzhou Chan in the Tangut texts”
Session # 5: Modern Transformations of Chan/Sŏn/Zen
- Eric Goodell (Fo Guang University), “Taixu’s History of the Chan Tradition”
- Jimmy Yu (Florida State University), “The Use of the Huatou as the Fulfilment of Doctrine”
- Jin Y. Park (American University), “Rethinking T’oeong Sŏngch’ŏl’s Vision of Sŏn Buddhism and its Relation to Chinese Chan Buddhism”
- Bernard Senécal (Sogang University), “The Struggle of Chogyejong to Define its Identity as a Meditative School in Contemporary Korea”
- James Mark Shields (Bucknell University), “Chan Influence on Japanese Buddhist Progressives of Late Meiji”
Khyentse Foundation Lecture # 2, Robert E. Buswell, Jr. (University of California, Los Angeles –– UCLA)
“Is Zen “Enlightenment” Sudden or Gradual?: Insights from the Korean Buddhist Tradition”
Albert Welter
Professor and Head, Department of East Asian Studies
University of Arizona
