蒲室集

Púshì jí 蒲室集

The Pú-shì (Cat-tail-Room) Collection by 釋大訢 (撰)

About the work

The 15-juàn collection (6 juàn poetry, 9 juàn prose) of the Yuán Chán abbot Shì Dàxīn 釋大訢 (CBDB 28415, 1284–1344), zì Xiàoyǐn 笑隱 (“Smiling Recluse”). Native of Nánchāng 南昌; lay-surname Chén 陳氏. Dàxīn resided at the Fèngshān 鳳山 in Hángzhōu, transferred to the Zhōngtiānzhú 中天竺 monastery (one of the principal Hángzhōu Buddhist establishments), then later was made abbot of the Jíqìngsì 集慶寺 at Jiànkāng (Nánjīng) — the monastery established by Wénzōng on his pre-imperial qiándǐ (princely residence). Dàxīn was conferred the imperial honour Tàizhōng dàfū 太中大夫 by Wénzōng on accession (1328), establishing him as a major mid-Yuán imperial-Buddhist figure.

The collection is prefaced by Yú Jí 虞集, whose preface praises Dàxīn’s verse as “rú Dòngtíng zhī yě, zhòng yuè bìng zuò, kēnghóng xuānáng, jiāolóng qǐ yuè, wùguài bǐngzǒu” (like the wilderness of Dòngtíng, the many musics together arising, kēnghóng (great-sound) xuānáng (eminent-rising), dragons leaping-and-springing, monsters fleeing-and-running, chénmíng fāxìng (deep-and-secret bringing-forth inspiration)) — particularly the míngjiào jiéyì (name-teaching, integrity) sections — gǎnlì fènjī (moved-and-stimulated, struggling-and-enthused), beyond what “those aged in wénxué” can match. The Sìkù editors find Yú Jí’s praise somewhat excessive but concede that Dàxīn’s 5-syllable gǔshī genuinely yīràng yú shì dàfū jiān (yields-and-modestly-rises among the shì dàfū [scholar-officials]), and that the prose is bù hán shūsǔn zhī qì (does-not contain the shūsǔn — vegetable-and-bamboo-shoots = monkish — qì) — i.e. the writing transcends typical monastic literary limitations.

The collection’s principal documentary contributions:

1. The Wáng Kěyì shàngshū lìrèn jì 王可毅尚書歷任記 — biographical-historical jì verifiable against the Yuánshǐ Wénzōng běnjì.

2. Imperial-historical correction. The jì dates Wénzōng’s exile to Hǎinán to Zhìzhì 2 (1322), while the Yuánshǐ běnjì dates the same exile to Zhìzhì 1 (1321) fifth month — the Sìkù editors note the one-year discrepancy and suggest yī (one) miswritten èr (two) as a possible transmission error. The exile was triggered by Zhōngzhèngshǐ Yuēěrzhū 約爾珠 (originally transliterated Yǎozhù 咬住, corrected by Sìkù editors) reporting that Tuōhuānchèěr 妥歡徹爾 (originally Tuōhuāncháér 脱歡察児) was communicating with the princes.

3. Exchange-network record. Dàxīn corresponded substantially with Zhào Mèngfǔ 趙孟頫, Kē Jiǔsī 柯九思, Sà Dūlā 薩都拉 (originally Sà Dūcì 薩都剌, corrected), Gāo Yànjìng 高彥敬 (= Gāo Kègōng 高克恭), Yú Jí 虞集, Mǎ Zhēn 馬臻, Zhāng Zhù 張翥, Lǐ Xiàoguāng 李孝光 — the principal mid-Yuán Buddhist-and-literati network.

4. Two pieces composed on behalf of Zhào Mèngfǔ. The Sìkù editors note that juàn 9’s Hángzhōulù Jīngāng xiǎnjiào yuàn jì and juàn 12’s Jīnlíng Tiānxǐ jiǎngsì Fóguāng dàshī Dégōng tǎmíng are explicitly annotated as composed on behalf of Zhào Wèigōng (Zhào Mèngfǔ) — establishing that Zhào Mèngfǔ himself farmed out commissioned compositions to Dàxīn — proof that the abbot was no ordinary monk.

Tiyao

The Púshì jí, 15 juàn, by the Yuán monk Shì Dàxīn composed. Dàxīn, zì Xiàoyǐn, [was a] Nánchāng Chénshì son. [He] dwelt at Hángzhōu’s Fèngshān; transferred [to] Zhōngtiānzhú; further [was] abbot of [the] Jiànkāng Jíqìngsì. The collection [is] 6 juàn of poetry, 9 juàn of prose. Preceded by [a] Yú Jí preface, calling his [verse like] “the wilderness of Dòngtíng, the multiple musics together arising — kēnghóng xuānáng (great-sound xuānáng), dragons leaping-and-springing, monsters fleeing-and-running, chénmíng fāxìng (deep-and-secret bringing-forth inspiration); reaching to míngjiào (name-teaching) jiéyì (integrity-righteousness), then gǎnlì fènjī (moved-and-stimulated, struggling-and-enthused) — those aged in wénxué cannot exceed”. Although calling [it] slightly-overflowing its measure, yet his 5-character gǔshī truly [is] sufficient to yīràng (yield-and-defer modestly) among the shì dàfū; the remaining forms also [do] not contain shūsǔn (vegetable-and-bamboo-shoots = monkish) qì — in monastic poetry [it] still belongs [to] yǎyīn (elegant-sound).

Also Wénzōng entered to continue the great-throne; changed [the] Jiànkāng qiándǐ [his pre-imperial princely residence] [to make it] the Jíqìngsì; specially raised-up [Shì] Dàxīn to dwell at it; conferred [on him] Tàizhōng dàfū. Therefore although [he was] subject to the black-robed flow, [he] rather [was] acquainted-with court precedents. Like what was composed [in the] Wáng Kěyì shàngshū lìrèn jì — proving [against] the Yuánshǐ Wénzōng běnjì, all are mutually in-accord. Only the běnjì calls “[at] Zhìzhì 1 (1321) fifth month, the Zhōngzhèngshǐ Yuēěrzhū (originally Yǎozhù; now corrected) reported [that] Tuōhuānchèěr (originally Tuōhuāncháér; now corrected) and others [were] communicating with the princes — thereupon [Wénzōng] was sent-out to dwell at Hǎinán” — yet this jì then calls “Zhìzhì 2 (1322), slander-and-evil gòuhuò (constructed-trouble) — Wénzōng was relocated to Hǎinán” — different from the běnjì by one year. Perhaps transmission-and-copying erroneously [had] one as two — therefore [it] is different from the history?

The collection-mid has many compositions with Zhào Mèngfǔ, Kē Jiǔsī, Sà Dūlā (originally Sà Dūcì; now corrected), Gāo Yànjìng, 虞集, 馬臻, 張翥, 李孝光 in mutual-exchange. And in juàn 9, the Hángzhōulù Jīngāng xiǎnjiào yuàn jì, in juàn 12, Jīnlíng Tiānxǐ jiǎngsì Fóguāng dàshī Dégōng tǎmíng — both note “composed on-behalf-of Zhào Wèigōng (= Zhào Mèngfǔ)“. So [Zhào] Mèngfǔ also once jiǎ shǒu yú Dàxīn (farmed-hand to Dàxīn) — [we] know [Dàxīn] is no ordinary monk.

Respectfully collated, ninth month of Qiánlóng 46 (1781). Chief-Compiler Officers Jì Yún 紀昀, Lù Xīxióng 陸錫熊, Sūn Shìyì 孫士毅; Chief-Collation Officer Lù Fèichí 陸費墀.

Abstract

The collected works of Shì Dàxīn (1284–1344), the principal Yuán imperial-Buddhist literary figure under Wénzōng and Shùndì. Established as a major scholar-monk before imperial promotion, Dàxīn was raised by Wénzōng to abbot of the Jíqìngsì 集慶寺 — converted from Wénzōng’s pre-imperial princely residence at Jiànkāng (Nánjīng) and given imperial Tàizhōng dàfū rank. The collection preserves substantial mid-Yuán imperial-Buddhist documentary material, including a verifiable jì on Wáng Kěyì’s official career that the Sìkù editors use to cross-check the Yuánshǐ Wénzōng běnjì; and a substantial corpus of imperial-grade Buddhist bēimíng and tǎmíng, including pieces composed on behalf of Zhào Mèngfǔ (the great Yuán imperial calligrapher-painter outsourced ghost-writing to Dàxīn). The mid-Yuán literary network documented in the Púshì jí (Zhào Mèngfǔ, Kē Jiǔsī, Sà Dūlā, Gāo Kègōng [as Gāo Yànjìng], Yú Jí, Mǎ Zhēn, Zhāng Zhù, Lǐ Xiàoguāng) is among the densest preserved.

The Sìkù base preserves Qián-lóng-era imperial corrections of Mongol-Yuán proper names (Yǎozhù → Yuēěrzhū; Tuōhuāncháér → Tuōhuānchèěr; Sà Dūcì → Sà Dūlā).

Composition window: from Dàxīn’s adult abbatical-and-literary activity (after c. 1305) through his death in 1344.

Translations and research

• Albert Welter, Monks, Rulers, and Literati: The Political Ascendancy of Chan Buddhism (Oxford UP, 2006) — broad context.
• Lìu Wēn 劉文, recent studies on Yuán imperial-Buddhist literary culture.
• See dazangthings.nz/cbc/ for the CBETA digital text of the Pú-shì jí.

Other points of interest

The fact that Zhào Mèngfǔ outsourced commissioned-temple-stele compositions to Dàxīn — explicitly annotated in two pieces in the collection — is a remarkable piece of evidence on Yuán-period high-elite commissioned-composition practice: even the great Zhào Mèngfǔ found his demand sufficient to require sub-contracting. The Sìkù editors single this out as proof that Dàxīn was no ordinary monk.

Links

• WYG SKQS V1204.5, p525.
• CBDB person 28415 (Shì Dàxīn)