Selected Works of Nan Huaijin (Volume 8)

Author: Nan Huaijin
Publisher:
Publish 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 was nurtured by his parents in his youth and studied the classics. During the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, 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 at the Big Platform Temple on Mount Emei for three years, thoroughly reading the vast 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. After moving to Taiwan, he was appointed to teach at Cultural University, Fu Jen University, and other universities and research institutes, 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 deeply insightful, vivid, and humorous, achieving remarkable success in popularizing traditional Chinese culture and winning the admiration of readers across all levels in both Taiwan and mainland China. Fudan University Press is the earliest publisher of Nan Huaijin's works in China and the publisher with the most extensive collection of his writings. They have published a total of twenty-four works, most of which are his representative works. With the authorization of the author and the original publisher, these works have been compiled into ten volumes, bound in hardcover, 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, Commentary on the I Ching Systematic Transmission
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: Experiences from History, A Generation That Is Both New and Old, General Remarks on Chinese Culture
Volume 7: How to Practice and Attain Enlightenment, The Perspective of the Sariputra Sutra on the Prajnaparamita Sutra, Basic Beliefs of a Buddhist Practitioner
Volume 8: What the Diamond Sutra Means, A Contemporary Interpretation of the Lingyin Sutra
Volume 9: A Brief Explanation of the Great Wisdom Sutra, Initial Practices of Mindfulness and Wisdom, A Contemporary Interpretation of the Lengyan Sutra
Volume 10: The Subtle 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 category of Prajnaparamita sutras. Its full title is the Sutra on the Heart of Perfect Wisdom (Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra), and it is a single-volume work translated by the monk Kumārajīva in the sixth year of the Hongshi era (424 CE). After its publication, it quickly spread throughout society, with over one hundred commentaries, summaries, annotations, poetic verses, explanations, and other works. The Diamond Sutra 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), the Diamond Sutra is divided into thirty-two chapters, each of which is explained in detail. Each chapter concludes with a poetic verse summarizing the author's insights. The book provides a thorough analysis of the difficult passages in the Diamond Sutra. With the authorization of the author and the original publisher, Taiwan Lao Gu Cultural Enterprises, this book has been revised and published as the latest edition (2nd printing, 3rd edition, January 2001) for research purposes.
The Lingyin Sutra is an important classic revered by the Chan and Pure Land schools of Buddhism in China. Since the Tang Dynasty, there have been over one hundred commentaries on it, and its recitation, study, and practice are widespread. The famous "Lingyin Dharma Assembly" is based on this text. The full title of the Lingyin Sutra is the Sutra on the Great Wisdom of the Buddha's Topmost Crown, the Profound and Secret Cause of Enlightenment for All Bodhisattvas, the Chief of Ten Thousand Practices, translated by the Tang Dynasty monk Pāramitī. The Lingyin Sutra primarily discusses the theory that "roots and dust are of the same origin, and liberation and bondage are not two," as well as 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 the nature and form of the teachings, the core of the Dharma for this generation, and the true seal for becoming a Buddha or a patriarch" (, Volume 11). This book is a comprehensive contemporary interpretation of the Lingyin Sutra by the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin, including the original text, annotations, translation, and sequential explanations (marked in parentheses). The translation strives for accuracy, elegance, and clarity, transforming ancient wisdom into modern understanding, making it a high-quality colloquial reading of the Lingyin Sutra. With the authorization of the author and the original publisher, Taiwan Lao Gu Cultural Enterprises, this book has been revised and published as the latest edition (1st printing, 35th printing, March 2001) for research purposes.