Classical Chan/Zen literature is famous for its ostensive disparagement of scriptural authority. In practice, however, sutra recitation and invocation of dhāra?ī have been a significant and influential component of Zen monastic life throughout...
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Index theologicus der Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen
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Classical Chan/Zen literature is famous for its ostensive disparagement of scriptural authority. In practice, however, sutra recitation and invocation of dhāra?ī have been a significant and influential component of Zen monastic life throughout history. Daily and monthly sutra-recitation services take up more of the monks' time and effort than any other activity. This article examines the liturgical function of Buddhist scriptures within the Japanese Rinzai tradition. It also aims to better understand how Zen practitioners interpret the meaning and purpose of sutra recitation and how they bridge the aforementioned gap between soteriology and practice. I explore the Kankinbo chapter of Goke sansho yoromon, written by the eighteenth-century Japanese Rinzai monk Torei Enji. Torei focuses on the mental and physical benefits of sutra recitation and its power to positively affect natural and supernatural environments. This illustrates the multifaceted understanding of texts as ritual objects, one that challenges strict distinctions between worldly benefits and spiritual cultivation. Torei's exegetical efforts to explain the function and justify the legitimacy of sutra recitation attest that the tension between antinomian rhetoric and worship was a major concern for Zen reformers in Edo Japan. Accordingly, I contend that the Kankinbo can advance our understanding of the meaning and function of rituals within Edo-period Zen and shed new light on modern interpretations of the tradition.
