John R. McRae. Zen Evangelist: Shenhui, Sudden Enlightenment, and the Southern School of Chan Buddhism. Edited by James Robson and Robert H. Sharf, with Fedde de Vries. Kuroda Classics in East Asian Buddhism Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2023. 360 pp.
Year: 2024
Type: book-review
Abstract: John McRae's (1947McRae's ( -2011) ) book on Shenhui 神會 (684-758) became a legend even before its publication.Now, we finally have this posthumous book with John's meticulous annotated translation and several of his reprinted articles on the subject, thanks to the editorial guidance of two capable Zen experts and the help of the graduate assistant Fedde de Vries who adopted a conservative approach to consolidate John's manuscript.What is not included are John's analytical chapters, though some of the relevant materials have been incorporated in the notes.Peter Gregory's foreword summarizes nicely John's involvement and connection with the Kuroda Institute, which sponsored the publication of the present book.John was a major player and supporter of the institute, and played an essential role in a series of important meetings that the institute organized.James Robson and Robert Sharf also introduced the history of this manuscript and summarized the contents of the book.John had been working on the translation for several decades and delayed the publication multiple times.Early Chan master Shenhui is perhaps one of the most important Chan teachers in shaping the teaching and practice of the entire
Author: Jiang WU
Language: English
Topic: Indian and Buddhist Studies
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4408226548