Northern Chán and the Siddhaṃ Songs

In Chapter Two, Christoph Anderl and Henrik Sørensen focus on a Chan genre which so far has received relatively little scholarly attention in the West, the so-called “Chan songs” (Chan-ge 禪歌). The paper addresses a text which is interesting for several reasons. From a historical point of view, it shows that early Chan doctrines and practices (including those traditionally associated with the “Northern School”)—at least on a regional level—enjoyed continuous popularity (this topic is also pursued in the chapter of van Schaik). Many motifs appearing in Chan manuscript copies of 9th and 10th century Dunhuang can be traced to the relatively early phase of the Chan movement, including key terminology reminiscent of the Northern School. This is also evidenced by the relatively large number of copies circulating. Interestingly, the text studied in this chapter is written in verse form, using a highly complex pattern of rhymes. In addition to short doctrinal statements and phrases of encouragement for Chán practitioners, it features a great number of phonetically used characters, imitating the sounds of Sanskrit. Only few terms in these phonetic phrases are identifiable, and the majority do not seem to convey any concrete Sanskrit words but rather try to reflect the foreign sounds (which were thought to have powers of salvation similar to those of dhāraṇīs). In addition, in the preface the text connects to Bodhidharma and the Laṅkavatāra tradition, whereas the Siddhaṃ alphabet is reminiscent of Kumārajīva’s Tongyun. The text reflects the multifaceted approach of Chan adherents to the Buddhist teaching, and their use of different genres depending on the intended target audience. As is also evidenced by the Tibetan material discussed in the volume, many texts circulating in Dunhuang during the 9th and 10th centuries mirror an awareness of sectarian divisions within Chan factions, but consciously seem to choose a pragmatic and reconciling approach. This can be also deduced from other Chan songs and eulogies, some of them even written by monks directly active in the Dūnhuáng area. The Siddhaṃ Song is critically edited, comparing the various extant manuscripts (and correcting several mistakes in the Taishō edition), and an annotated English translation is provided.