Encyclopedia of Buddhism

ZANNING

Zanning (Tonghui dashi, 919–1001) was a Buddhist
scholar-official renowned for his knowledge of Bud-
dhist history and institutions in China, although his
knowledge extended beyond Buddhism to Confucian
matters and details of Chinese history and culture. As
an official and scholar, Zanning played a critical role
in explaining and defining Buddhism for Song officials.
Biographical records indicate that Zanning rose from
humble beginnings and embarked on a monastic ca-
reer at a young age, probably in 929 or 930. He re-
ceived full ordination on Mount Tiantai while still in
his teens and distinguished himself as a master of the
VINAYAtradition. He became a leader of literary (wen)
studies in his native Wuyue region (present-day Zhe-
jiang province), and served in key government posi-
tions in Wuyue. Zanning also played a key role as the
Wuyue representative in the return of the Wuyue re-
gion to Song control in 978.

Zanning reportedly made a great initial impression
on the Song emperor Taizong (r. 976–997), who
awarded him a high rank, an honorific robe, and a ti-
tle. Buddhist sources report that Zanning was appointed
to the prestigious Hanlin Academy of academicians, an
extremely rare honor for a Buddhist, but this cannot be
confirmed in non-Buddhist accounts. Zanning was also
a member of the Society of Nine Elders, an elite group
of literati-officials at the Song court responsible for
managing imperially sponsored editorial projects.
Among the surviving Buddhist works compiled by Zan-
ning, two are of great interest to contemporary schol-
ars: the Song gaoseng zhuan(Song Biographies of Eminent
Monks) and the Seng shilue(Historical Digest of the Bud-
dhist Order). As an official at the Song court, Zanning

became the leading Buddhist cleric of the Song empire,

first through appointment as chief lecturer on Buddhist

su
tras and ultimately as Buddhist registrar of the right

and left precincts of the capital, the leading position in

the administration of Buddhist affairs.

See also:Biographies of Eminent Monks (Gaoseng

Zhuan); China

Bibliography

Dahlia, Albert. “The ‘Political’ Career of the Buddhist Historian

Tsan-ning.” In Buddhist and Taoist Practice in Medieval Chi-

nese Society,ed. David Chappell. Honolulu: University of

Hawaii Press, 1987.

Welter, Albert. “Zanning and Chan: The Changing Nature of

Buddhism in Early Song China.” Journal of Chinese Religions

23 (1995): 105–140.

Welter, Albert. “A Buddhist Response to the Confucian Revival:

Tsan-ning and the Debate Over Wen in the Early Sung.” In

Buddhism in the Sung,ed. Peter N. Gregory and Daniel A.

Getz, Jr. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1999.

ALBERTWELTER

ZEN. SeeChan School

ZEN, POPULAR CONCEPTIONS OF

Zenis the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese char-

acter chan,itself a truncated transliteration of the San-

skrit term DHYA
NA(TRANCE STATE). In contemporary

Japan, three monastic traditions, the Rinzai, So
to
, and

O
baku, now use the term to identify themselves as

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Z