大慧宗杲话头禅的特色与传衍过程

The Characteristics and Transmission Process of Dahui Zonggao’s Discourse on Head Zen

中国禅宗在唐初初步形成,是中国佛教诸宗派中流传最广、影响最大的一派。禅宗在兴起之初便展现出无法比拟的创新精神,由最初的不立文字到不离文字,由一脉相承到五家分灯,禅宗一直在不断革新变化。两宋之际是禅宗发展的重要时期,禅学呈现出多途发展的局面,而禅门弊病也逐渐显露,有感于宗风堕丧,临济宗高僧大慧宗杲针对当时流行的“文字禅”和“默照禅”这两种弊病痛下钳锤,大力批驳。为了对治两种弊病,大慧宗杲倡导和完善了话头禅体系,使之成为宋代以后禅宗的主流,经历代禅师不断阐扬,话头禅法绵延不绝,影响深远。

Chinese Zen Buddhism was initially formed in the early Tang Dynasty and is the most widely circulated and influential sect among various Buddhist sects in China. At the beginning of its rise, Zen demonstrated an unparalleled spirit of innovation, from the initial lack of written language to the absence of written language, and from the same lineage to the five separate schools of thought, Zen has been constantly innovating and changing. The period between the two Song Dynasties was an important period for the development of Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism presented a multi-path development situation, and the drawbacks of Zen Buddhism gradually emerged. Due to the decline of the sect’s style, the eminent monk of Linji Sect, Da Hui Zonggao, dealt with the two prevalent drawbacks of “written Zen” and “silent meditation Zen” and vigorously refuted them. In order to address the two drawbacks, Dahui Zonggao advocated and improved the system of Huatou Zen, making it the mainstream of Zen Buddhism after the Song Dynasty. Through continuous elucidation by Zen masters, the Huatou Zen method continued and had a profound impact.