Chan Master Dayi’s Inscription on Sitting Meditation

The article contains a translation and study of Zuochan ming 坐禪銘 (Inscription on Sitting Meditation), a short but illuminating text about the practice of meditation that can be traced back to the second half of the Tang dynasty. Attributed to Ehu Dayi 鵝湖大義 (746–818), the text is of considerable importance for understanding the historical transformation of the Chan tradition, especially when we consider the paucity of Chan texts from the late Tang period that overtly deal with meditation. So far, this text has been ignored by contemporary scholarship. This is its first translation and study in English or in any other language. The Zuochan ming is unique among Chan documents from the late Tang era for its unequivocal focus and promotion of the formal practice of meditation. As such, it sheds light on the larger developmental trajectories of Chan teachings and practices, especially the evolving attitudes towards the practice of sitting meditation.