Nan Huaijin Selected Works. Volume 8

Author: Nan Huaijin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-07-01
Features: Nan Huaijin, a renowned scholar with international acclaim, was born in 1918 into a scholarly family in Leqing County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. At 85 years old, he received early education at home and studied the classics in his youth. When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out, the young Nan Huaijin took up arms and served on the southwestern frontier. Later, he returned to Sichuan and taught at the Central Military Academy and Jinling University. With exceptional talent and detachment from worldly affairs, he often traveled with straw sandals and bamboo staffs, exploring famous mountains and rivers to seek enlightened masters. He once secluded himself for three years at the Shuangfeng Temple on Mount Emei, thoroughly reading the vast Dagang Jing (Great Treasury of the Mahayana Sutras). He then traveled to Tibet, studying with masters of Vajrayana Buddhism and gaining profound knowledge of its various schools. After leaving Tibet, he moved to Kunming, initially teaching at Yunnan University and later at Sichuan University. After the war, he returned to his hometown. Soon after, he retired to Mount Tianzhu in Hangzhou and Mount Lu in Jiangxi, dedicating himself to scholarship. Upon moving to Taiwan, he was appointed to teach at Cultural University, Fu Ren University, and other universities and research institutions, spreading his knowledge to Japan, the United States, and Central America. In recent years, he has resided in Hong Kong, contributing significantly to cultural exchange between the Taiwan Strait regions. Nan Huaijin is well-versed in classics, history, and philosophy, bridging Eastern and Western cultures with extensive knowledge and numerous works. Especially notable is his use of the "integration of classics and history" method to explain the core texts of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. His explanations are scholarly yet engaging, profound yet humorous, making him a beloved figure among readers across all levels in both Taiwan and mainland China. Fudan University Press is the earliest domestic publisher of Nan Huaijin's works and the one that has published the most comprehensive collection of his writings. The press has published a total of twenty-four works by Nan Huaijin, most of which are his representative works. With the author's and original publisher's authorization, these works have been compiled into ten volumes, beautifully bound to meet the needs of readers for reading and collecting. The contents of each volume are as follows:
Volume 1: The Analects Decoded
Volume 2: The Way of Lao Tzu and Confucius, Mencius Unbound
Volume 3: The I Ching Unbound, The I Ching: Explained
Volume 4: Zen and Taoism, Taoism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and Eastern Mysticism, Meditation for Self-Cultivation and Immortality
Volume 5: Exploring the Zen Sea, Zen Talks, An Outline of the Development of Buddhism in China, An Outline of the Development of Taoism in China
Volume 6: Lessons from History, A New Generation Between Tradition and Modernity, General Remarks on Chinese Culture
Volume 7: How to Practice Buddhism, The Healing Vision of the Sariputra Sutra, The Fundamental Beliefs of a Buddhist
Volume 8: What the Diamond Sutra Means, The Essence of the Lingyi Sutra Today
Volume 9: A Brief Explanation of the Adhyatma-uddhara Sutra, Initial Practices of Meditation and Wisdom, The Essence of the Lengyan Sutra Today
Volume 10: The Original Meaning of the Great Learning
Fudan University Press, July 3, 2003
The Diamond Sutra is one of the representative classics of early Mahayana Buddhism and a key text in the Prajnaparamita category. Its full title is the Sutra of the Diamond Prajnaparamita (the character "mi" in the title can also be read as "mi"). It is a single-volume work translated by the monk Kumārajīva in 426 CE (the sixth year of the Hongshi era). After its publication, it quickly spread throughout society, with over one hundred commentaries, summaries, annotations, poetic verses, explanations, and other works. The text primarily discusses the theory that "all spoken phenomena are not all phenomena" and the concept that all phenomena (both physical and psychological) are "empty yet illusory." This book is a lecture record by the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin on the Diamond Sutra. Based on the classification by the (Liang Dynasty Prince), Nan Huaijin divides the Diamond Sutra into thirty-two chapters (equivalent to chapters) and explains each one. Each chapter concludes with a poetic verse summarizing his research insights. The book provides a thorough analysis of the difficult passages in the Diamond Sutra. With the author's and original publisher's authorization, the revised edition (second printing, third revision, January 2001) of the Lao Gu Cultural Publishing Company is published for research purposes.
The Lingyi Sutra is an important classic revered by the Chan and Pure Land schools of Buddhism. Since the Tang Dynasty, there have been over one hundred commentaries on it, and its recitation, study, and practice are widespread both within and outside temples. The famous "Lingyi Dharma Assembly" is based on this text. The full title of the Lingyi Sutra is the Sutra of the Great Buddha's Crown, Revealing the Secret Cause of Enlightenment for All Bodhisattvas, the Chief Vehicle for the Ten Thousand Practices of All Bodhisattvas. It is a ten-volume work translated by the Tang Dynasty monk Pāramitī. The text primarily discusses the theory that "roots and dust are of the same origin, and liberation and bondage are not two" and the "twenty-five methods of perfect penetration." The Ming Dynasty monk Zhixu once praised it as "the guiding light of this religion, the essence of nature and form, the core of the teachings of this era, and the true seal for becoming a Buddha or a patriarch" (Yue Zang Zhi Jin). This book is a comprehensive interpretation of the Lingyi Sutra by the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin, including the original text, annotations, translation, and commentary (indicated in parentheses). The translation strives for accuracy, elegance, and clarity, updating ancient wisdom for modern readers, making it a high-quality colloquial version of the Lingyi Sutra. With the author's and original publisher's authorization, the revised edition (first printing, thirty-fifth revision, March 2001) of the Lao Gu Cultural Publishing Company is published for research purposes.