Personal Salvation and Filial Piety: Two Precious Scroll Narratives of Guanyin and Her Acolytes (Classics in East Asian Buddhism)

241 Pages·2008·1.79 MB·English

by  Wilt L. (RTL) Idema

Buddhist studies/Chinese literature
PERSONAL SALVATION
(Continued from front flap)
Also in Clasics in East Asian Buddhism and FILIAL PIETY
tion that discusses the origin of the TWO PRECIOUS SCROLL NARRATIVES OF The bodhisattva Avalokiteùvara was
Idema
text and the genre to which it be- GUANYIN AND HER ACOLYTES a handsome prince when he entered
longs and highlights the similarities THE ORIGINS OF BUDDHIST MONASTIC China. As Guanyin, the bodhisattva
and differences between the scroll and CODES IN CHINA Translated and with an introduction by was venerated from the eleventh cen-
female saints’ lives from medieval Eu- An Annotated Translation and Study of the Chanyuan qinggui Wilt L. Idema tury onward in the shape of a beautiful
rope. There follows a translation of Yifa woman who became a universal sav-
the much-shorter The Precious Scroll 2002, 408 pages, illus. ior. Throughout the last millennium,
of Good-in-Talent and Dragon Girl, Cloth ISBN: 978-0-8248-2494-5 the female Guanyin has enjoyed wide
which provides a humorous account and fervid veneration throughout East
of how Guanyin acquired the three Asia and has appeared as a major
“This book represents a real advance in our understanding of Chinese
acolytes—Sudhana, Nagâkanyâ, and a character in literature and legend.
Chan and should be on the bookshelf of every scholar of Chinese
white parrot—who are often shown In one tale, Guanyin (as the princess
Buddhism.”
surrounding her in popular prints. Miaoshan) returns from the dead after
—Journal of Chinese Religions
being executed by the king, her father,
As the first English-language transla- for refusing to marry. The most popu-
“The translation alone . . . guarantees the work’s lasting value. The
tion of major “precious scrolls,” Per- lar version of this legend is The Precious
study accompanying it breaks ground in several areas, and will serve as
sonal Salvation and Filial Piety will ap- Scroll of Incense Mountain (Xiangshan
the basis for further research in years to come.”
peal to a wide range of readers—from baojuan), a long narrative in prose
—China Review International
scholars of Chinese literature to stu- and verse and a work of considerable
dents of Buddhism. Beyond the field literary merit. It emphasizes the con-
“A solid foundation for further research on the topic. I recommend this
of East Asian studies, it will interest flict between father and daughter, in
book most highly to all serious students of East Asian Buddhism.”
specialists in comparative religion and the course of which all conventional
—Journal of Asian Studies
literature and feminist theologians. arguments against a religious lifestyle
Because of its lively and moving nar- are paraded and rebutted. A lengthy
ratives, the text is suitable for courses description of Guanyin’s visit to the
on popular Buddhist religiosity (par- underworld, which focuses on the con-
ticularly female religiosity) in Chinese flict between grace and justice, is also
Jacket art: Anonymous untitled woodblock print depicting Guanyin seated
society. included.
on Mt. Putuo surrounded by her acolytes. From Wang Shucun, ed.,
Guanyin baitu (Guangzhou: Lingnan meishu chubanshe, 1995), p. 66.
Personal Salvation and Filial Piety of-
Jacket design by Santos Barbasa Jr. fers a complete and fully annotated
translation of The Precious Scroll of
Incense Mountain, based on a nine-
Wilt l. idema teaches Chinese litera- University of Hawai‘i Press teenth-century edition. The translation
ture at Harvard University. Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822-1888 is preceded by a substantial introduc-
(Continued on back flap)
Kuroda Institute
Classics in East Asian Buddhism
www.uhpress.hawaii.edu
jack mech.indd 1 1/25/08 11:15:02 AM
PERSONAL SALVATION and FILIAL PIETY
Two Precious Scroll Narratives of Guanyin and Her Acolytes
Personal Salvation and Filial Piety
CLASSICS IN EAST ASIAN BUDDHISM
Personal Salvation
and Filial Piety
Two Precious Scroll Narratives of
Guanyin and Her Acolytes
Translated and with an introduction
by
WILT L. IDEMA
A KURODA INSTITUTE BOOK
University of Hawai‘i Press
Honolulu
( 2008 Kuroda Institute
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
13 12 11 10 09 08 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Personal salvation and filial piety : two precious scroll narratives of
Guanyin and her acolytes / translated and with an introduction by
Wilt L. Idema.
p. cm.—(Classics in East Asian Buddhism)
Uniform title not available.
Includes bibliographical references
ISBN 978-0-8248-3215-5 (alk. paper)
1. Avalokitesvara (Buddhist deity) I. Idema, W. L. (Wilt L.)
BQ4710.A8P42 2008
0
294.3 422—dc22
2007043306
The Kuroda Institute for the Study of Buddhism and Human Values is a
nonprofit, educational corporation founded in 1976. One of its primary
objectives is to promote scholarship on the historical, philosophical, and
cultural ramifications of Buddhism. In association with the University of
Hawai‘i Press, the Institute also publishes Studies in East Asian Buddhism,
a series of scholarly investigations of significant themes and topics in the
East Asian Buddhist tradition.
The Kuroda Institute gratefully acknowledges a generous subsidy from the
Harvard University Asia Center toward the publication costs of this book.
University of Hawai‘i Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet
the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Council on Library
Resources.
Designed by Santos Barbara Jr.
Printed by The Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group
Kuroda Institute
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˙
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
The Precious Scroll of Incense Mountain, Part 1 45
The Precious Scroll of Incense Mountain, Part 2 99
The Precious Scroll of Good-in-Talent and Dragon Girl 161
Notes 191
Glossary 217
Bibliography 221
vii
Acknowledgments
My interest in the rich vernacular literature on the bodhisattva
Guanyin was first aroused by the publications of Glen Dudbridge,
but I only started to pursue this topic in more detail when Mark
Meulenbeld decided to devote his MA thesis to a novel on Guanyin
from the early years of the twentieth century. Because of our
discussions I was stimulated first to read and then to translate The
Precious Scroll of Incense Mountain, first into Dutch, and later into
English.
After I moved from Leiden to Harvard, I twice co-taught a class
on Buddhist bianwen with Robert Gimello. I learned a lot from
him in this way, and I hope that my enhanced understanding of
Buddhism is reflected in the current translations. Beata Grant
kindly read through the draft of the complete manuscript, which
was greatly improved by her many suggestions on matters of style
and content. I also benefited from detailed suggestions by Stephen
Teiser and Dan Stevenson. William Bodiford supplied me with the
computer font to insert all the diacritics required by publications
on Buddhist subjects.
I am very grateful to Peter Gregory and the Board of the Ku-
roda Institute for their decision to publish this work in their presti-
gious series. The comments and corrections of the two anonymous
readers were very helpful. It is also a pleasure to acknowledge the
efficient production of this book by University of Hawai‘i Press. A
special word of thanks is due Joanne Sandstrom for her meticulous
copyediting.
Needless to say, all remaining defects of this monograph are
purely my own.
ix