A study of Chan Master Foguo and a translation of the text in Wenshu zhinan tuzan

Abstract

This study intends to offer a detailed and reliable chronicle of the life of Chan Master Foguo (佛國禪師), to determine the extant editions of Wenshu zhinan tuzan (文殊指南圖讚, the Tuzan in short) in China, and to attempt a translation of the fifty-four eulogies in the Tuzan. Wenshu zhinan tuzan is an illustrated book of woodblock prints and eulogies on the motif of Sudhana’s pilgrimage, which is based on the Gaṇḍavyūha (入法界品) of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra (大方廣佛華嚴經). The woodblock prints have been extensively cited as key references for the iconographic study on this motif. The eulogies are often borrowed to illustrate drawings related to the topic. As indicated by the preface to the Tuzan, Chan Master Foguo is the author of the eulogies. A reliable chronicle for Chan Master Foguo is constructed in this thesis through intensive reading and critical analysis of relevant historical records, hagiographies, local gazettes, and so on. His social networks, consisting of his masters and disciples, monastic friends, patrons, and others, place Foguo in a profound social milieu in the second half of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127). A brief biography is generated from the chronicle, his social networks, and the traces of his travels. At least three editions of the Tuzan are confirmed to be in circulation in China. The late Ming (1368–1644) edition is brought into the spotlight. The superiority of Luo Zhenyu’s edition to the two editions included in the Tripitaka is argued, with iconographical evidence revealed in the comparative study of the illustrations in four editions. The format of the 2015 edition heralds the rising popularity of this motif. For the first time, the fifty-four eulogies are translated into English, with special treatment of the rhyme. Considerations of the metre and an annotated translation are recommended for future efforts. The main purpose of this study is, therefore, to construct a reliable chronicle and a brief biography for Chan Master Foguo, to classify the extant editions of Wenshu zhinan tuzan in China and prove the superiority of Luo Zhenyu’s edition, and to attempt a translation of the text, comprising fifty-four eulogies, in the Tuzan.

Keywords: Chan Master Foguo, Sudhana, Wenshu zhinan tuzan, Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Sudhana’s pilgrimage