Ennin's Diary: Full Text

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DGA
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Ennin's Diary: Full Text

Post by DGA »

I want everybody to know about this great bodhisattva: Ennin, Jikaku Daishi. His diary can be read in so many ways, as a significant historical artifact, as the record of one person's commitment to the teachings in turbulent times, even as what the Tibetans might call a namthar or spiritual biography. It's just good stuff. I present it to you: Ennin's Diary...

http://www.scribd.com/doc/232382248/Enn ... ary-1-of-6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.scribd.com/doc/232382502/Enn ... ary-2-of-6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.scribd.com/doc/232382841/Enn ... ary-3-of-6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.scribd.com/doc/232383133/Enn ... ary-4-of-6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.scribd.com/doc/232383239/Enn ... ary-5-of-6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.scribd.com/doc/232383446/Enn ... ary-6-of-6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The scanning was done by committee. That's why we have six different files. I hope they're all in order and properly legible.

Mostly, I hope the great example and enlightened mind of Jikaku Daishi brighten the path of all. Namo Buddhaya.
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ratna
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Re: Ennin's Diary: Full Text

Post by ratna »

Many thanks!
Huseng
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Re: Ennin's Diary: Full Text

Post by Huseng »

Nice to see this online. The translation is dated, but still quite readable!

The full Chinese original is available here:

https://sites.google.com/site/dharmadep ... ninjournal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There's also a good recent study of Ennin's journal available for free:

"Searching for the law: Ennin's journal as a key to the Heian appropriation of Tang culture."

http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/pqdtopen/d ... ml?FMT=ABS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Seishin
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Re: Ennin's Diary: Full Text

Post by Seishin »

Many Thanks Jikan :twothumbsup:
DGA
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Re: Ennin's Diary: Full Text

Post by DGA »

Indrajala wrote:Nice to see this online. The translation is dated, but still quite readable!

The full Chinese original is available here:

https://sites.google.com/site/dharmadep ... ninjournal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There's also a good recent study of Ennin's journal available for free:

"Searching for the law: Ennin's journal as a key to the Heian appropriation of Tang culture."

http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/pqdtopen/d ... ml?FMT=ABS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Thanks for those links!

And I agree, the translation does feel antiquated, but overall I think it's very much worth keeping in circulation. Hopefully this will inspire a new translation?
Qianxi
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Re: Ennin's Diary: Full Text

Post by Qianxi »

Wonderful. It just so happens I was reading this in the library the other day. The descriptions of the dangers of the Japan-China sea crossing really bring home what people risked to bring the Dharma to Japan. Ennin literally gets washed ashore in China in the opening of the book, it's quite cinematic.
There's a companion book by Reischauer called "Ennin's Travels in T'ang China", which organises and analyses some of the historically significant descriptions in Ennin's diary.

I wonder if any of you have read The Roof Tile of Tempyo by 20th century Japanese author Yasushi Inoue. It's a novelised version of the true account of Tang Dynasty Chinese monk Jianzhen's attempts to reach Japan. Very moving.

A more readily available book by the same author is 'Tun-Huang'. Also a work of historical fiction concerning the survival and transmission of Buddhist texts in a chaotic world.
DGA
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Re: Ennin's Diary: Full Text

Post by DGA »

Qianxi wrote:Wonderful. It just so happens I was reading this in the library the other day. The descriptions of the dangers of the Japan-China sea crossing really bring home what people risked to bring the Dharma to Japan. Ennin literally gets washed ashore in China in the opening of the book, it's quite cinematic.
There's a companion book by Reischauer called "Ennin's Travels in T'ang China", which organises and analyses some of the historically significant descriptions in Ennin's diary.

I wonder if any of you have read The Roof Tile of Tempyo by 20th century Japanese author Yasushi Inoue. It's a novelised version of the true account of Tang Dynasty Chinese monk Jianzhen's attempts to reach Japan. Very moving.

A more readily available book by the same author is 'Tun-Huang'. Also a work of historical fiction concerning the survival and transmission of Buddhist texts in a chaotic world.
Thank you for these leads. I look forward to following up on them.

I wish I had 30 hour days so I had enough time to read...
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