Patrons and Patriarchs : Regional Rulers and Chan Monks During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

__Patrons and Patriarchs__ breaks new ground in the study of clergy-court relations during the tumultuous period that spanned the collapse of the Tang dynasty (618–907) and the consolidation of the Northern Song (960–1127). This era, known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, has typically been characterized as a time of debilitating violence and instability, but it also brought increased economic prosperity, regional development, and political autonomy to southern territories. The book describes how the formation of new states in southeastern China elevated local Buddhist traditions and moved Chan (Zen) monks from the margins to the center of Chinese society. Drawing on biographies, inscriptions, private histories, and government records, it argues that the shift in imperial patronage from a diverse array of Buddhist clerics to members of specific Chan lineages was driven by political, social, and geographical reorientations set in motion by the collapse of the Tang dynasty and the consolidation of regional powers during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. As monastic communities representing diverse arrays of thought, practice, and pedagogy allied with rival political factions, the outcome of power struggles determined which clerical networks assumed positions of power and which doctrines were enshrined as orthodoxy. Rather than view the ascent of Chan monks and their traditions as instances of intellectual hegemony, this book focuses on the larger sociopolitical processes that lifted members of Chan lineages onto the imperial stage. Against the historical backdrop of the tenth century, __Patrons and Patriarchs__ explores the nature and function of Chan lineage systems, the relationships between monastic and lay families, and the place of patronage in establishing identity and authority in monastic movements.

China is known for its deep veneration of history. Far more than a record of the past, history to the Chinese is the magister vitae (teacher of life): the storehouse of moral lessons and bureaucratic precedents. Mirroring the Past presents a comprehensive history of traditional Chinese historiography from antiquity to the mid-Qing period. Organized chronologically, the book traces the development of historical thinking and writing in Imperial China, beginning with the earliest forms of historical consciousness and ending with adumbrations of the fundamentally different views engendered by mid-nineteenth-century encounters with the West. The historiography of each era is explored on two levels: first, the gathering of material and the writing and production of narratives to describe past events; second, the thinking and reflecting on meanings and patterns of the past. Significantly, the book embeds within this chronological structure integrated views of Chinese historiography, bringing to light the purposive, didactic, and normative uses of the past.

Examining both the worlds of official and unofficial historiography, the authors lay bare the ingenious ways in which Chinese scholars extracted truth from events and reveal how schemas and philosophies of history were constructed and espoused. They highlight the dynamic nature of Chinese historiography, revealing that historical works mapped the contours of Chinese civilization not for the sake of understanding history as disembodied and theoretical learning, but for the pragmatic purpose of guiding the world by mirroring the past in all its splendor and squalor.

Contents Figures, Maps, and Tables Acknowledgments Maps Introduction 1. Disintegration: The Tang–Five Dynasties Transition 2. Improvisation: The Transformation of Regional Buddhist Cultures in Southern China 3. Founding Fathers: The Kingdom of Min 4. Filial Sons: The Southern Tang 5. Heirs and Ancestors: The Kingdom of Wuyue 6. Reintegration: The North Prevails Conclusion Appendix 1. Members of Xuefeng Yicun’s Lineage Supported by the Royal Families of Min, the Southern Tang, and Wuyue Appendix 2. Names and Reign Dates for the Rulers of Min, Wu, Southern Tang, and Wuyue Appendix 3. Names and Reign Dates for the Rulers of Northern Dynasties Appendix 4. Buddhist Texts Printed in the Kingdom of Wuyue Appendix 5. Members of Linji Yixuan’s Lineage Supported by Song Officials Notes Bibliography Index