| Chapter 1: | The Life and Times of Zanning |
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image of Zanning as a “secular monk” whose commitment to Buddhism might be suspect in the eyes of the faithful. One story that circulated about Zanning indicates that the faithful had reason for suspicion. The fact that the story is rebutted in the Orthodox Transmission validates the existence of such suspicion and the need to defend Zanning’s integrity as a Buddhist. This defense is closely connected with the Orthodox Transmission’s aim to redeem Zanning’s image as a model Buddhist.
The issue of Zanning’s image as a defender of Buddhism stems from a story that circulated about Zanning recorded by Ouyang Xiu 歐陽修 (1007-1072), regarded as the successor of Wang Yucheng and Liu Kai as a champion of guwen.106 Like his predecessors, Ouyang Xiu’s public pronouncements were staunchly anti-Buddhist. In a famous medical analogy, Ouyang compared Buddhism to a disease that had taken advantage of the weakened state of Confucian society to infect China.
When kingly rule ceased, and rites and righteousness were neglected, Buddhism came to China. It is clear that Buddhism took advantage of this time of decay and neglect to come and plague us. This was how the illness was first contracted. And if we will but remedy this decay, revive what has fallen into disuse, and restore once again to the land kingly rule in its brilliance and rites and righteousness in their fullness, then although Buddhism continues to exist, it will have no hold upon our people.107
In a manner strikingly similar to Wang Yucheng, Ouyang’s public positions against Buddhism were tempered by his personal admiration for Buddhist monks. Ouyang was often impressed by the personal qualities of individual monks, their knowledge of Buddhist scriptures and brilliance in articulating positions and countering questions posed to them. Like Wang Yucheng, he wrote prefaces to the works of learned Buddhist monks. And, as in the case of Wang’s attraction to Zanning, it was the Confucian qualifications of these monks that impressed Ouyang.108
Ouyang’s story concerning Zanning, recorded in his Record of one who has Returned to the Fields (i.e., retired from public life; Guitian lu 歸田錄),