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The Problem with Koans Steven Heine. Zen Koans. Dimensions of Asian Spirituality Series. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2014. 206 pp. $17.00, paper, ISBN 978-0-8248-3974-1. Reviewed by John Jorgensen Published on H-Buddhism (May, 2015) Commissioned by Gregory A. Scott (University of Edinburgh) Koans (公案) or cases are generally described lightenment. Transmission includes a mythology as a major method of teaching used in Zen to deal with a crisis, monasticism and the enforce‐ (in Chinese, Chan; in Korean, Seon) Buddhism to ment of behavioral regulations, and succession or induce a student to reach enlightenment. By con‐ the choice of a true heir who will continue the centrating intensely on these paradoxical conun‐ transmission. It is this analysis into six elements drums, students are led to an overwhelming doubt that constitutes the core and strength of this produced by a logical impasse, the tension of book. As the aim of this series, Dimensions of which is broken by adopting a new outlook that Asian Spirituality, is to provide a short work on an supposedly overcomes dualism and other distort‐ Asian school of religious thought or central con‐ ing psychological concepts and conditions. This cept for general readers, this book includes no enlightenment needs to be verified in turn by a notes, references, indexes, or Chinese characters. certified master for it to be deemed legitimate and However, the core arguments will also be useful not a self-delusion. for scholars of Zen. Because of the cryptic and seemingly illogical The core theme of Heine’s book—detailing the statements and actions depicted in koans, at‐ functions of koans into six elements—parallels a tempts have been made to analyze their functions number of similar attempts by Chinese schol‐ beyond the basic idea that they are skillful means. ars. Yang Xinying’s Chanzong Wumenguan Steve Heine’s Zen Koans attempts to go beyond zhongyao gongan zhi yanjiu (Studies of the signifi‐ the stereotypical idea of the koan and such instru‐ cant koans of the Wumenguan of the Chan school) mentalist interpretations by arguing that koans (1989) analyzes koans according to rules of have two main aims: personal religious transfor‐ thought, language, behavior, and the appropriate mations and transmission, which are both related use of objects as found in the Wumenguan, a ma‐ to the process of realizing transcendence. Trans‐ jor koan collection of 1,229 that is the chief object formation is made up of doubt in pursuit of the of Heine’s analysis. Another attempt at such anal‐ goal, the experience of a spontaneous break‐ ysis was made by Huang Lianzhong in his Chan‐ through or enlightenment, and the expression of zong gongan ti-xiang-yong sixiang zhi yanjiu enlightenment by communicating the path to en‐ (Studies of the substance, form, and function H-Net Reviews thought of Chan school koan) (2002). This analysis explained and analyzed. While I largely concur uses the key terms of the Dasheng qixin lun (Ma‐ with the analysis, there are places in the transla‐ hayana Awakening of Faith): the substance that is tion that are dubious and have implications for the mind of sentient beings, the expression of that the analysis. For example, in this case, the hero, characteristic or form, and the functions of the Huineng, the sixth patriarch, who is fleeing south rising and ceasing mind to explain koans. These with the robe and bowl symbolic of the patriar‐ terms are further subdivided. For example, func‐ chal transmission of Zen from the Buddha in a di‐ tions are divided into the recording of incidents of rect transmission, is addressed by head monk enlightenment, the establishment of a topic via di‐ Ming, a former general, as “powerful master” alogue, suggestions that unify contradiction, guid‐ (p. 89). The term xingzhe, translated as “powerful ance to a correct method of realization, direct master” by Heine, is properly translated as “pos‐ conversion by getting the student to see their tulant.” Despite Heine’s later discussion of xingzhe mind-source, and the process of bringing students and its various meanings, here it is definitely “pos‐ to a correct understanding of Buddhism. There are tulant” as can be seen from the hagiography of probably other such analyses in Chinese, Korean, Huineng from which this koan is extracted and and Japanese of koans, but unfortunately Heine from its use in a Vinaya text. In this point in the and other writers using English seem to have hagiography, Huineng was not yet a monk; he had largely ignored these analyses. not been tonsured and was working as a me‐ Some of the above interpretations are in dan‐ nial, hulling grain in the monastery of the fifth pa‐ ger of being reduced to what Victor Sōgen Hori de‐ triarch. Thus the head monk, a person of consider‐ scribes as “instrumentalist approaches” or inter‐ able status in the monastic system, is asking a per‐ preting koans as “scriptural exegesis” and not son of the lowest status, not even a formal mem‐ as “experience.” Heine’s transmission category ber of the monkhood, and an illiterate southern overlaps at times with such instrumentalist ap‐ barbarian to boot, for instruction. The use of proaches. This is not, however, to deny that koans xingzhe was meant to convey surprise that a head may have some instrumentalist aims, but Hori monk would ask this uncouth youth for instruc‐ contends that koans are “realizational,” in which tion. If Huineng was a “powerful master,” some‐ the koan and the mind merge.[1] thing not attested in Zen dictionaries as a render‐ ing of xingzhe, it would be unremarkable that the Despite my minor misgivings about his instru‐ head monk would request instruction from mental approaches, and his largely ignoring these Huineng. alternative visions of koans, I think that Heine’s analyses in chapters 3 to 5, those that cover the Zen philologists, such as Mujaku Dōchū topics of the six themes that Heine has detected, (1653-1745) who is responsible for the standard are valuable and corrective contributions to the edition of the Linji lu used in Japan, were very par‐ literature on koans, and are well demonstrated ticular about the accuracy of the Zen texts, for a from the koans selected as examples. Of course, koan could lose its impact if it was not correctly not all of the koans contain all six of these aims, transmitted or translated. “What is the sound of and in an appendix Heine designates the main two hands clapping?” instead of Hakuin’s in-your- theme or aim of each case in the Wumenguan. face koan of “What is the sound of one hand clap‐ ping?” would be of no value as a koan. Therefore One case, number 23, “Thinking of neither even a minor deviation from the presumed origi‐ good nor evil,” contains all six themes. Each para‐ nal text has implications. Heine translates the fa‐ graph or section of the translation of this koan is mous mu (no) koan as, “Does even a dog have the labeled with the dominant theme, which is later Buddha-nature or not?” The “even” is a misread‐ 2 H-Net Reviews ing of the Chinese character huán, read hái here. There are other such examples of the confu‐ The character is simply a marker of a question sion of myth or legend with history. There needs to and thus the translation should be “Does a dog be a clearly stated distinction between what mod‐ have a Buddha-nature?” without the implied dis‐ ern historians regard as history and what Zen pro‐ paragement of dogs that “even” carries. A differ‐ pagandists deem as “history” for the aims of this ent error is found in “Zhangzhuo, the Accom‐ book to be achieved. For example, koans are read plished One.” It should be “Zhang back into the early history of Zen on the assump‐ Zhuo.” “Accomplished One” or xiucai is rather like tion that records of incidents of enlightenment saying PhD or Dr., for this was a degree. Moreover, were read in the early period as koan and used as Heine’s statement that “the character for the koans. Moreover, there is an error concerning the name Zhang literally means ‘unskilled’” is incor‐ lineal affiliation of Zhaozhou Congshen, a major rect (p. 120). It is “zhuo” that means “unskilled.” figure who appears in the koan tradition. Heine Such translation errors detract from the main states that Zhaozhou “was in a collateral lineage impact the book is aiming for: “to set the record to Mazu’s” (p. 44). Zhaozhou was in a direct lin‐ straight by analyzing the classic background of eage from Mazu via Nanquan Puyuan. The state‐ texts and rites.... By investigating history carefully ment should probably read “Zhaozhou was in a ... to form an authentic appreciation of this unique collateral lineage to Linji’s.” approach to spirituality” (p. 12). Yet the version of The “history” improves as Heine shifts his at‐ history presented in this book, especially the early tention to the Song dynasty, but even here I have pre-koan period of Zen, is very questionable, for it qualms about some statements, such as mixes Zen mythology (that is, invented and thus when he writes that Dahui was “ever wary of im‐ not simply legend) with history. For example, perial authorities, who sought to suppress any cul‐ Heine states that Bodhidharma “introduced Zen tural expression that might be considered subver‐ as a separate school during the sixth century,” sive” (p. 48). While it was the case that the imperial came to China in “the mid-500s,” had a meeting authorities suppressed any suggestions of subver‐ with Emperor Wu of Liang, and “established sion, the reason why Dahui and his chief lay sup‐ Shaolin Temple ..
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