Fóguǒ jījié lù 佛果擊節錄

Fóguǒ’s Beating-Time Record — a two-juan Northern-Sòng Chán text: Xuědòu Chóngxiǎn’s 雪竇重顯 (980–1052) niāngǔ 拈古 (prose-commentary on classical cases), with the added jījié 擊節 (“beating-time” i.e. accompanying commentarial interjections) by Yuánwù Kèqín 圜悟克勤 (1063–1135; shì Fóguǒ 佛果, whence the title). Parallel composition to the famous Bìyán lù 碧巖錄 (see KR6q0112): there Xuědòu’s sònggǔ 頌古 (verse-commentary) received Kèqín’s running commentary; here Xuědòu’s niāngǔ (prose-commentary) receives the parallel treatment.

About the work

A two-juan Chán gōng’àn commentary with dual-authorial structure, X67 n1301. Non-commentary on a single parent Buddhist text (responds to classical Chán gōng’àn corpus); commentedTextid omitted.

Xuědòu’s niāngǔ 拈古 on 100 classical cases provides the primary commentarial voice; Kèqín’s jījié 擊節 — literally “beating-time” like a percussion-accompaniment in classical music — adds Kèqín’s own secondary commentarial interjections on each of Xuědòu’s responses. The result is a two-voice composition parallel to the Bìyán lù.

Abstract

For biographical details on Xuědòu Chóngxiǎn and Yuánwù Kèqín, see their existing person notes. Both are major figures in the Northern-Sòng Chán gōng’àn-commentarial tradition: Xuědòu the originator of the Yúnmén-lineage classical-case commentary-tradition, Kèqín the codifier (through the Bìyán lù) of the Línjì-lineage reception of Xuědòu’s commentaries.

Dating: notBefore c. 1111 (Kèqín’s mature Jǐngzhōng 景仲 period); notAfter 1135 (Kèqín’s death). Xuědòu’s material dates from the Northern-Sòng mid-11th century.

Translations and research

  • Buswell, Robert E. Jr., and Donald S. Lopez. 2014. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Entry on Bìyán lù and related texts.
  • Yanagida Seizan 柳田聖山. Various studies.
  • No major Western-language dedicated study located specifically on the Jījié lù.

Other points of interest

The Jījié lù is the prose-commentary twin to the much more famous KR6q0112 Bìyán lù (verse-commentary), with both works sharing Xuědòu → Kèqín dual-authorial structure. The two together form a unified corpus of Northern-Sòng gōng’àn exposition under the Xuědòu / Kèqín names.