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Practice and Emptiness in the Discourse Record of Ruru Jushi, Yan Bing (D Practice and Emptiness in the Discourse Record of Ruru Jushi, Yan Bing (d. 1212), a Chan Buddhist Layman of the Southern Song A dissertation presented by Alan Gerard Wagner to The Committee on the Study of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of The Study of Religion Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts May 2008 © 2008 Alan Gerard Wagner All rights reserved Dissertation Advisor: Professor Parimal Patil Alan Gerard Wagner Practice and Emptiness in the Discourse Record of Ruru Jushi, Yan Bing (d. 1212), a Chan Buddhist Layman of the Southern Song Abstract In this dissertation I study the works of one Chinese Buddhist layman, Yan Bing !", also known as Layman Ruru (Ruru jushi ##$%, d. 1212). His extant writings survive in two editions, a handwritten manuscript of more than 400 pages and a woodblock print of 121 pages. In this rare and exceptional corpus we find a great wealth of primary material on Buddhist thought, culture, and practice in the Southern Song (1127–1279), including essays on doctrine, morality and meditation, written prayers and supplications, detailed ritual protocols, records of his formal Chan teachings, a complex diagram of the Buddhist cosmos, and essays and verses on the unity of the “Three Teachings” (Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism). This study has two aims. First, it introduces Yan Bing to the English-speaking scholarly community by presenting a substantial volume of transcriptions and trans- lations from his corpus. Second, it explores the relationship between the doctrine of “emptiness” or “nonduality” on the one hand and “conventional” Buddhist morality and ritual piety on the other. Both of these religious orientations are well represented in Yan’s works. As a second-generation dharma heir of Linji Chan Master Dahui Zonggao &'() (1089–1163), Yan emphasizes meditation and huatou contempla- tion as the fastest solution to the problem of karma and rebirth. At the same time, he iii strongly urges adherence to the Buddhist precepts, the cultivation of merit, and the pursuit of rebirth in Amitābha Buddha’s Pure Land. The study proceeds through a careful examination of the relationship between one’s store of karmic merit and the possibility of attaining “sudden” enlightenment; the various uses to which Yan applies the doctrine of nonduality in his preaching; and an extensive comparison with another Buddhist layman, the Pure Land devotee Wang Rixiu *+, (d. 1173). We find that Yan sees “conventional” religiosity as a support to the pursuit of ultimate liberation and that different understandings of “emptiness” have a tangible impact on programs of practice. iv Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 PART ONE: FRAMES Bibliographic, Historical, Interpretive....................................................................... 13 I. The Textual Basis.................................................................................................. 14 1. Yan’s Biography ............................................................................................ 14 2. Form and Content of the Discourse Record .................................................. 21 3. Form and Content of the Abridged Record .................................................... 32 4. Evidence for Multiple Editions of Yan’s Collected Works........................... 36 5. The Ritual Amplification of the Diamond Sutra............................................. 40 6. Deyin’s Assembled Sages Discourse Record .................................................. 43 7. “Exhorting [People] to Cultivate Good Karma” ........................................... 46 8. The Protocols of Seated Meditation............................................................... 47 9. Contemporary Scholarship ........................................................................... 47 II. Features of Yan’s Buddhist World........................................................................ 49 1. The Legacy of Dahui Zonggao...................................................................... 52 2. Pure Land Belief and Lay Devotionalism .................................................... 80 3. The Ten Kings of Chinese Purgatory............................................................ 94 4. The Biography of Guanyin Bodhisattva ..................................................... 100 III. Emptiness and Interpretation............................................................................ 105 1. The Doctrine of Emptiness ......................................................................... 105 2. Interpretation and Understanding ............................................................... 116 3. “Metaphysical” and “Semantic” Interpretations ......................................... 122 4. Practice and Emptiness ............................................................................... 133 5. Points of Reference ..................................................................................... 135 v PART TWO: DOCUMENTS Selections from the Discourse Record of Ruru Jushi ............................................... 141 IV. Karma and Its Remedies ................................................................................... 142 1. The Cycle of Rebirth ................................................................................... 142 2. Amitābha’s Pure Land ................................................................................. 173 3. “Sudden” Enlightenment............................................................................. 191 4. Discussion................................................................................................... 196 V. The Record of Yan Bing’s Seated Teaching........................................................ 205 1. Yan’s Dialogue with Liaoshan..................................................................... 206 2. Yan’s Final Days at Qingliang..................................................................... 228 3. Discussion ................................................................................................... 250 VI. Yan’s “Skillful Preaching on [the Topic of] Cultivation” ................................. 255 1. Overview..................................................................................................... 255 2. Yan’s Use of fangbian.................................................................................. 259 3. Primary Text and Translation ..................................................................... 263 4. Interpretation of Yan’s Position................................................................... 299 5. Comparison with Wang Rixiu’s Letters of Exhortation for Particular [Types of People] ....................................................................... 305 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 324 Works Cited............................................................................................................. 329 vi Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Robert Gimello, not only for introducing me to Yan Bing and making available copies of Yan’s writings, but also for the many years during which he trained me in the arts of Buddhological scholarship and the interpretation of classical Chinese. Those who are familiar with Professor Gimello’s work will recognize that this project strongly bears the marks of his legacy. I wish also to extend my thanks to the members of my dissertation committee, Professors Parimal Patil, Miriam Levering, and Michael Puett, upon whose wise counsel and steadfast patience I have relied in bringing this study to its conclusion. I am likewise deeply indebted to the generosity of Professor Wilt Idema who, along with Professors Gimello and Levering, devoted many hours to careful review of my translations and interpretations of Yan’s writings. Any infelicities and errors which remain in this work are the result of my inattention or ignorance, not theirs. During the course of my thirteen years at Harvard my knowledge and insight into the Buddhist tradition, and the fields of religious studies and philosophy more generally, have been shaped and nourished by teachers too numerous to mention. Here I would like to recognize in particular Professors Charles Hallisey and Carl Bielefeldt, and the late Professor Masatoshi Nagatomi, whose influence upon a young student has proved particularly significant in setting me upon the path which I have followed in my studies. While writing my dissertation I have been blessed to be a part of two exceptio- nal communities which I will forever cherish. To the members of Lowell House – its vii students, fellow resident tutors, staff, and Masters Diana Eck and Dorothy Austin – I am eternally grateful for the friendship, care, and solidarity I have enjoyed with them, and all of us with one another, over the past five years. To my fellows in the Shanhui -. (the “good gathering” or “auspicious reuinion”), especially Eyal Aviv, Jason Clower, Ryan Overbey, and Michael Radich, I must express how much I treasure hav- ing found such a rare group of frank, insightful, and compassionate scholars and friends, and pledge my continued devotion to our collective efforts as we now scatter across the globe. Finally and most importantly, I wish to extend my deep thanks to
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