Reimagining the Dharma: Yanshou, Daoyuan, and Zanning on the Three Pillars of Buddhism

This paper addresses some key aspects of a reimagined Buddhism that proved formative for the new Buddhism (or “Neo-Buddhism”) of the Song dynasty. This “reimagined Dharma” takes its inspiration from three works associated with monks from the Buddhist kingdom of Wuyue (897–979) during the Five Dynasties period: the Zongjing lu 宗鏡錄 by Yongming Yanshou 永明延壽 (904-975), the Da Song seng shilüe 大宋僧史略 by Zanning 贊寧 (919-1001), and the Jingde chuandeng lu 景德傳燈錄 by Daoyuan 道原 (d.u.). I argue that these may be viewed as contemporary supplements to the three pillars of classical Buddhism (śila, samādhi, and prajñā), and that these supplements remade Chinese Buddhism in essential ways, providing new frames for success in the Song environment.