The Golden Age of Zen

·期刊原文
The Golden Age of Zen
By John C. Wu
Reviewed by Frank J. Hoffman
Philosophy East & West
V. 48 No. 1 (January 1998)
pp. 166-167
Copyright 1998 by University of Hawaii Press

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John Wu's The Golden Age of Zen was published in Taiwan in an English edition, under this title (1975).

p.166

The Golden Age of Zen, by John Wu (Wu Ching-hsiung), begins with an Introduction by Thomas Merton. Wu kindly asserts that the book is

p.167

but a long footnote to Merton's introduction. This book covers the Zen Buddhism of the T'ang dynasty (618-906 C.E.). Wu recognized that comparing Christianity to Zen is as impossible as comparing mathematics to tennis, thinks Merton, who also feels that Zen involves grasping certainty in the sense of "an authentic metaphysical intuition, which is also existential and empirical." The meaning and possibility of this complex claim go unanalyzed.

Wu gives detailed characterizations of the "five houses of Ch'an" and a genealogical chart. The Houses of Lin-chi and Yun-men are "steeped and sharp-edged," the House of Ts'ao-tung "close-knit and resourceful," that of Fa-yen "speculative and broad," whereas the House of Kuei-yang has "a greater depth than the others." One way in which the depth of the House emerges is in its distinction between Tathaagata Ch'an and Patriarch Ch'an. The former is a matter of faith, meditation, and asceticism, whereas the latter is spontaneous articulation and direct insight into one's true self.

Wu provides a useful background to the lives of Hui-neng and other major figures. For example, Wu contextualizes the famous verses of Hui-neng and Shen-shiu, in contrast to others who have merely quoted the verses. A sympathetic understanding of both Hui-neng and Shen-shiu emerges in contrast to treatments of Shen-shiu as merely a foil to Hui-neng. Wu's discussions are detailed, as when he interprets pu li wen tze (often rendered "no dependence on words and letters") to mean "no setting up of words and letters." We utilize, but do not idolize, words and letters. While never losing sight of the fact that intuition and tuition differ markedly, Wu does not allow the reader to fall into a stereotype of Zen as anti-intellectual simpliciter. Wu emphasizes the connections between Zen and other forms of thought. Hui-neng, for example, brought out the universal aspect of Ch'an so well that even Confucianists could find points of agreement. Ma-tsu Tao-i's skill and resourcefulness as a teacher empowering students to self-discovery is illustrated in several anecdotes. In one, he tweaks the nose of Pai-chang and the latter attains enlightenment. Wu is not content to list anecdotes, but provides a wealth of background details facilitating historical understanding.

One oddity, however, is that an anecdote about D. T. Suzuki saying "Living is dying" is repeated almost verbatim in two places very close together (pp. 192 and 217).

Overall, the quality of Wu's thought is evident in numerous ways. Wu's work shows his ability to think through some superficial understandings of key terms. Koans, for example, are not "puzzles," for that would make them purely intellectual objects. In the intense agony of Struggling with a koan the inner eye opens.

Both of these volumes are very much worth acquiring for the first, or even the second, time.