Bodhidharma Outside Chan Literature: Immortal, Inner Alchemist, and Emissary from the Eternal Realm
In Daozang texts, sectarian hagiographies, and late imperial inner alchemy (neidan 内丹) writings, the life and teachings of Bodhidharma were reconceived in interesting ways, often by drawing upon and magnifying the Chan 禪 Buddhist motifs. From Daozang texts it is apparent that certain parties regarde...
| Published in: | Journal of Chinese religions |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Johns Hopkins University Press
[2017]
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| In: |
Journal of Chinese religions
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bodhidharma 470-543
/ Dao zang
/ Hagiography
/ Alchemy
/ Immortality (Motif)
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| Further subjects: | B
returning to emptiness (guikong 歸空)
B Sects B Shenguang B embryonic breathing (taixi 胎息) B Hagiography B Liu Huayang B Wu Shouyang B Bodhidharma |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | In Daozang texts, sectarian hagiographies, and late imperial inner alchemy (neidan 内丹) writings, the life and teachings of Bodhidharma were reconceived in interesting ways, often by drawing upon and magnifying the Chan 禪 Buddhist motifs. From Daozang texts it is apparent that certain parties regarded him as a master of the immortality technique of Embryonic Breathing, or as having transmitted teachings on how to anticipate death and safely navigate through the dying process. His reputation as a master of immortality methods (i.e., inner alchemy) and death-anticipation/navigation methods is perpetuated and further magnified in sectarian hagiographies and the inner alchemical writings of Wu Shouyang 伍守陽 and Liu Huayang 柳華陽. The sectarian hagiographies, while retaining key Chan hagiographical motifs, recast Bodhidharma as a messenger from the realm of the Eternal True Parents, thus integrating him into the scheme of sectarian mythology and soteriology. |
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| ISSN: | 2050-8999 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Chinese religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/0737769X.2017.1339422 |