The Polemics of Passivity and Yuanwu's Usage of It

This paper argues that while there has been much scholarly advancement in the field of Southern Song dynasty Chan literature, the lens through which some scholars read Caodong Chan literature is still strikingly reminiscent of early Japanese sectarian biases that connect distinct Chan discursive motifs with specific lineages and institutions, even when there is little justification in the primary sources themselves. This paper proposes a reassessment of the supposed polemics between Caodong and Linji pedagogical styles by looking more broadly at different discourse records to appreciate the shared literary Chan motif of passivity during the Southern Song period and to disentangle these motifs from sectarian affiliations.