Fayan Wenyi’s View of Chan Doctrine 禅教観: The Ten Rules of the Chan Gate 『宗門十規論』

Abstract

Focused on his view of Chan doctrine (禅教観), this paper examines the position of Fayan Wenyi (法眼文益, 885–958) in the history of Chan thought.Zongmi (宗密, 780–841) and Yanshou (延寿, 904–976) were Chan monks who explained the relationship between Chan and the Teachings tradition (Tiantai). Through a comparative analysis of their ideas, I explain the characteristics of Fayan’s thought. Zongmi believed all Buddhas originate from the same source, and that Chan and the Teachings tradition are not in conflict. However, he respectively classified Chan and the Teachings tradition, and explained their relationship, so his views on Chan doctrine were stratified. Nevertheless, Fayan paid attention to the Teachings tradition while valuing Chan, and treated equally every sect of the Chan school. Yanshou regarded Chan and the Teachings tradition as both having originated from the single source of the heart. Yanshou believed Confucism, Taoism, and the Hundred Schools of Thought are not stratified, and equal in nature. This is the extension of the single-layer view of Chan and the Teachings tradition. Fayan explained the relationship between Chan and the Teachings tradition from a unique perspective and proposed the single-layer view.