Chapter 25 Preface to "Shenhui Monk's Legacy Collection"

Preface to "Shenhui Monk's Legacy Collection" In the thirteenth year of the Republic of China, I tried to write a draft of "History of Chinese Zen Studies". When I wrote about Huineng, I was already very skeptical; when I wrote about Shenhui, I had to stop writing.I found the record of the struggle between Shenhui and Beizong in the "Biography of the Eminent Monks of the Song Dynasty", and found the record in Zongmi's book that Shenhui was established as the seventh patriarch in the twelfth year of Zhenyuan, so I decided to search for information about Shenhui. meeting history.But neither China nor Japan has preserved enough Zen material to satisfy my hopes.Because of this, I got a feeling at the time: At least 80% to 90% of the Zen materials stored today are materials from the Northern Song Dynasty monks Daoyuan, Zanning, and Qisong. .If we want to write a true history of Zen Buddhism, we must first search for materials from the Tang Dynasty, and we must not trust materials that have been modified after the Five Dynasties.

But where do we go to find the raw materials of the Tang Dynasty?At that time, I assumed a plan, which was to search for manuscripts published in Dunhuang.The manuscripts of Dunhuang, from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the early Song Dynasty, include materials from 500 to 1000 years in the Western calendar, which is exactly the era I am looking for.Moreover, Dunhuang was not a remote place in the Tang Dynasty, and the works of Zen masters in the two capitals and other places may have spread there. It happened that in the 15th year of the Republic of China, I had the opportunity to go to Europe, so I brought some reference materials and prepared to look at the Dunhuang scrolls in London and Paris.In mid-September I found three quotations from Shenhui in Paris, and in mid-November I found Shenhui's "Xianzong Ji" in London.In addition, there are some extremely important Zen historical materials.

The plan I assumed had such great success, it surpassed my wildest expectations before going abroad. When I returned to China in 16 years, I passed by Tokyo and saw Mr. Kogusu Junjiro, Mr. Tokiwa Dading, and Mr. Yabuki Keiki, and then I learned that Mr. Yabuki Keiki obtained the Dunhuang version of "The Platform Sutra" from London. This is also the most famous Zen in history. important material. Doctors Gao Nan, Tokiwa, and Yabuki all advised me to sort out the posthumous works of Shenhui as soon as possible.However, after I returned to China, it took more than two years before I was able to finish writing the four volumes of Shenhui's posthumous anthology; The three banknotes of "Shenhui Quotations" received are at the back as an appendix.The whole book consists of four volumes, four epilogues, one biography, and one appendix, each written in two copies, one sent to Dr. Gao Nan for his continued publication of the Tripitaka, and one printed in China. Book.

Shenhui is the seventh patriarch of the Southern Sect, the commander-in-chief of the Southern Sect's Northern Expedition, the founder of the new Zen, and the author of the "Tan Jing".In the history of Chinese Buddhism, there is no second person whose contribution and influence are as great as his. Such a great figure has been buried for a thousand years, and almost no one in later generations knows his name.Fortunately, his quotations were buried in the Dunhuang Grottoes. After 900 years of obscurity, there are still 20,000 words preserved. Today, after returning from overseas, they have been rediscovered. Knowing in detail his great achievements in fighting for the legal system of Zen, we have to overthrow the false history of Zen made by Daoyuan, Qisong and others, and rewrite the early history of Nanzong: isn’t this the person who governs the history of Chinese Buddhism? What should be the most comforting?

I take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to my many friends.I am most grateful to: Dr. Lionel Giles of the British Museum in London, and Professor Paul Pelliot of Paris. Without their enthusiastic assistance, I would not have obtained these materials.In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Yabuki Keiki from Japan for his kindness in sending a photocopy of the Dunhuang edition of the "Tanjing".After I got the miniature copy from Mr. Yabuki, I commissioned Dr. Giles to photocopy the London original.Soon I will finalize and publish the Dunhuang version of the "Tanjing" as a reference for "Shenhui Yiji".

Yu Changzhi, Mr. Zhou Daomouer and Ms. Wang Xieru proofread and printed this book, and I am very grateful for their hard work. one nine, four, ten "Recent Works on Hu Shi's Studies" Volume 2, Volume 1