| Chapter 1: | The Life and Times of Zanning |
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and Zen poets, suggests both mourning at the memory of the loss of one so great, and a spontaneous (i.e., enlightened) affirmation of what Zanning as a Buddhist represented. Any ambiguity associated with Zanning’s Buddhist allegiance is resolved by placing Zanning’s accomplishments within the context of Buddhist models and poetic allusions.
The “redemption” of Zanning’s image as a Buddhist was one of the main reasons that the Orthodox Transmission biography seems to have been written. Of the contributions to Buddhism mentioned in Zhiyuan’s poem, Zanning’s role in preserving the Lotus Society is singled out in the Orthodox Transmission as meriting special consideration. This was not a factor in Wang’s Preface, nor does it appear in any other biographical record of Zanning. It plays an especially important role in the Orthodox Transmission, establishing the criteria for Zanning’s “redemption” as a Buddhist and his appeal as a model for the faithful.
According to the Orthodox Transmission, Zanning compiled a text called Writings for Buddhist Associations and Dharma Gatherings (Jieshe faji wen 結社法集文),104 connecting him to the Buddhist Associations that became an increasingly important feature of Chinese Buddhism in the Song dynasty.105 Such societies were particularly appealing in an age of “secularized” Buddhism such as the Song, where monasteries depended more on the collective energies of the lay community, including their economic resources, and less on the rigorous commitment of monks who often depended on outside patronage for their existence. As supportive as Zanning may have been of Buddhist Associations, the Orthodox Transmission biography has seized on this aspect for reasons that are only tangentially connected to Zanning, but speak directly to issues concerning the regulation of such associations. The image of Zanning preserved in the Orthodox Transmission is as promoter of these associations, substantiating the benefits they provide, and as defender of the integrity of the associations against corrupting influences.
The image of Zanning as promoter and defender of Buddhist Associations served to strengthen his identity as a Buddhist and combat the