| Chapter 1: | The Life and Times of Zanning |
|
|
This is a limited free preview of this book. Please buy full access.
part takes the form of a rebuttal to the image of Zanning as a “secular monk,” to combat pernicious rumors regarding Zanning’s complicity with the secular establishment. It is an attempt to “set the record straight,” and redeem Zanning’s image as a model for the Buddhist faithful.
The “biographical” portion deviates little from the Xiaochu ji preface, adding only that Zanning was transferred to the more prestigious position of Buddhist Registrar of the left precincts of the capital in the third year of the xianping era (1000).93 It also mentions that Zanning passed away in the second month of the following year (1001), in the preferred Buddhist fashion of foretelling when one’s time has come, and that his remains were interred at the Dragon Well (longyi 龍井) of his native Qiantang 錢唐 (Hangzhou).94
We are also informed of Zanning’s legacy and the fate of his writings. He was granted a posthumous title, “Perfectly Enlightened” (yuanming 圓明) in the fourth year of the chongning era (1105).95 Zanning’s two works on Buddhist history commissioned by imperial authority, the Biographies of Eminent Monks compiled in the Song dynasty (30 fascicles) and the Topical Compendium of the Buddhist Clergy (3 fascicles) were installed in the Buddhist canon. His other works, the Anthology of Buddhist Writings (Neidian ji; 152 fascicles), the Anthology of Non-Buddhist Studies (Waixue ji; 49 fascicles), the Odes for the Zheng Instrument (Zheng pu 箏譜; 10 fascicles), and the Anthology on Extraordinary Things (Wuwai ji 物外集) were all published separately.96
Following Wang’s Preface, Zanning was recognized for his rhythmic verse and assorted poetry styles (changhe shishi 唱和詩什), and his effectiveness at essay writing (literally, creating wen; zuowen 作文). His legacy as a wen master is also acknowledged in the Orthodox Transmission through Zanning’s indebtedness to Huizheng for his “poetic technique” (shijue). This is in contrast to Wang’s Xiaochu ji, which claimed Zanning learned his “literary style” (wenge) from Huizheng, not his “poetic technique.” The Xiaochu ji claims Zanning learned his “poetic technique” from Gong Lin. Gong Lin appears in the Orthodox Transmission