The Legend of

Author: Tianhua Zhangzuren
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-12-01
Features: "The Legend of Drunken Bodhi and the Tale of Fu Toutuo" are included in the "Series of Chinese Fiction Materials." This series primarily selects works that were relatively important in the history of Chinese fiction from the Song Dynasty to the early Republic but had been overlooked. Since its inception in 1981, the series has been published in installments and has grown to a considerable size, exerting a broad influence among readers. It has won the First National Ancient Books Compilation and Publishing Award and the Third Prize. The compilation of this series strives to choose the best available editions as the base texts, with accurate punctuation and necessary collation. It preserves the original prefaces and postfaces of the books and, depending on the circumstances, selects reference materials of value as appendices. Therefore, it not only provides researchers with valuable primary materials but also serves as an excellent reading choice for a broad audience interested in ancient fiction, possessing long-term preservation value.
A poem goes:
"Love's net cares not for love's entanglement,
In the Golden Field, countless golden immortals bloom.
The Zen heart seeks purity in the dust,
Meritorious deeds must be completed in the world.
Frustrations are shed amidst frustrations,
Life and death are transcended beyond life and death.
Not can branches grow from flames,
How then can lotuses bloom in fire?"
These eight lines of verse speak of the Arhats in the Buddhist tradition.