This work provides a survey and critical investigation of the remarkable century that lasted from 1225 to 1325, during which the transformation of the Chinese Chan school of Buddhism into the Japanese Zen sect was successfully completed. The cycle of transfer began with a handful of Japanese pilgrims, including Eisai, Dogen and Enni, who traveled to China in order to discover authentic Buddhism. They quickly learned that Chan, with the strong support of the secular elite, was well organized in terms of the intricate teaching techniques of various temple lineages. After receiving Dharma transmission through face-to-face meetings with prominent Chinese teachers, the Japanese monks returned home with many spiritual resources. Foreign rituals and customs met with resistance, however, and by the end of the thirteenth century it was difficult to imagine the success Zen would soon achieve. Following the arrival of a series of emigre monks, who gained the strong support of the shoguns for their continental teachings, Zen became the mainstream religious tradition in Japan. The transmission culminated in the 1320s when prominent leaders Daito and Muso learned enough Chinese to overcome challenges from other sects with their Zen methods. The book examines the transcultural conundrum: How did this school of Buddhism, which started half a millennium earlier as a mystical utopian cult for reclusive monks, gain a broad following among influential lay followers in both China and Japan? It answers this question by a focusing on the mythical elements that contributed to the effectiveness of this transition, especially the Legend of Living Buddhas.

About the Author
Steven Heine is Professor of Religious Studies and History at Florida International University and author and editor of numerous OUP titles, including Dogen:Textual and Historical Studies.

Reviews
Few scholars of Zen are as approachable and rewarding to read as Heine... This study is erudite and wonderful to read. * Choice *
Heine emerges not only as a scholar and writer but most importantly as an erudite storyteller largely tracing the history and development of Chinese Chan and Japanese Zen from the mid-1200s to the mid-1300s. The volume nevertheless offers a thorough contextual background ... [and] can be appreciated by both scholars knowledgeable in the field, as well as by general readers with a keen interest in Chan and/or Zen. * Zuzana Kubovcakova, Religious Studies Review *
a focused introduction to the transmission of Chan from China to Japan in the thirteenth century with considerable information and summary of current scholarship on all aspects of Chan/Zen Buddhism. To date, there is no other book of comparable scope and coverage ... Overall, Heine's new book is stimulating and inspiring. I am sure it will open many doors for students of Chan/Zen to embark on new research projects. I highly recommend it to students and scholars. * Jiang Wu, History of Religions *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190637507
Author Steven Heine
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 408g
Dimensions(mm) 155mm * 231mm * 18mm