Míngdào Zhèngjué Sēn chánshī yǔlù 明道正覺森禪師語錄
Recorded Sayings of the “Bright-Path Right-Awakened” Chán Master Sēn by 超德 (等編)
Three-juan yǔlù of Máoxī Xíngsēn 行森 茆溪行森 (1614 – 1677-07-26, age 64), LínjìYángqí dharma-heir of Mùchén Dàomǐn 道忞 (1596–1674). Imperially-titled Míngdào Zhèngjué chánshī 明道正覺禪師 by the Shùnzhì emperor — Xíngsēn was Shùnzhì’s principal Buddhist teacher and the would-be officiant of the famous (prevented) imperial tonsure of 1660. Native of Bóluó 博羅 (Guǎngdōng), the same Bóluó that produced 函可 (Cáodòng) a generation earlier. Compiled by fǎsì Chāodé 超德 děng biān. Catalog source-edition is the Qiánlóng Edition Vol. 155 No. 1642.
Inner-text title gives Máoxī Sēn 䒢溪森 — the zì + dharma-name compound — with the imperial title prefix in the yǔlù heading. notBefore ≈ 1655 (post-付法-and-imperial-favor era); notAfter = 1677 (death).
Contents. Juan 1: mùlù (introduced by Jǐ Bā 幾八); shàngtáng; xiǎocān (shàng). Juan 2: xiǎocān (xià); shìzhòng; pǔshuō; niānsòng; fǎyǔ. Juan 3: jīyuán; chuíwèn; shūwèn (epistolary, including 復友人, 復形山寶西堂, 復戴岵瞻護法公, 答禪者, 答禪友).
Tiyao
Not applicable — Qiánlóng-canon imprint.
Other points of interest
KR6q0606 + the Yùxuǎn yǔlù selection (X68) constitute the principal LínjìYángqí yǔlù attached to direct imperial-Manchu Buddhist sponsorship. Both Shùnzhì (whose tonsure attempt was blocked only by his own death from smallpox) and Yōngzhèng (who composed the Yùxuǎn selection) personally engaged with Xíngsēn’s teaching — making this yǔlù the focal text for the Manchu-imperial LínjìYángqí literary tradition.
Translations and research
- Multiple modern Chinese-language studies on Xíng-sēn’s relation to Shùnzhì (the famous “shùn-zhì chū-jiā” near-tonsure narrative).