Abstract
Buddhism is a religion constructed around the meaning of fragile existence. The First Noble Truth, Life is Suffering (dukkha), acknowledging the impermanence of existence, is the starting point of Buddhist investigations manifested in Buddhist teachings and practices. As a result, the question of how to deal with existential fragility may be said to be the leitmotif animating all Buddhist discourse. Buddhism in the Chinese context only enhanced this sense of fragility and vulnerability. Coupled with the existential fragility animating Buddhist teaching, China’s Confucian secular leanings questioned the very legitimacy of Buddhism, and subjected it to ongoing campaigns to curtail its influence. This was especially true in the tenth century, a period between the great dynasties of Tang and Song, where political and social turmoil prevailed and the question of Buddhist legitimacy in China was raised with great fervor. From the pro-Buddhist state of Wuyue on the southeast coast of China, Yongming Yanshou (904-975) attempted to renew the message of Buddhist teaching for a chaotic age characterized by acute fragility and vulnerability. My paper focuses on the allegory describing the Buddhist sense of fragility and vulnerability, and the pathway to circumvent it, in Yanshou’s Records of the Source Mirror, a mammoth work of great influence in Chinese and East Asian Buddhism. The year 2025 marks the 1050th year anniversary of Yanshou’s death.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Fragile Meanings: Vulnerability in the Study of Religions and Spirituality
KEYWORDS
Buddhism, Allegory, Yongming Yanshou, Religious Fragility and Vulnerability
