HUILIN ON BLACK AND WHITE, JIANG YAN ON WUWEI: TWO BUDDHIST DIALOGUES FROM THE LIU-SONG DYNASTY

Abstract The genre of the lun (discourse) in early medieval Buddhism most often pertains to scriptural commentary or to interpretation of doctrine. But it can also accommodate other approaches to Buddhist topics, including those that more heavily emphasize literary flair. This article focuses on two essays in dialogue form that illustrate how far the genre can be stretched. These works are from early and late in the Liu-Song dynasty, by a monk and by a scholar-official, are from a large-scale and from a very personal perspective, are aimed at different audiences and were differently received. Attention is given here to the political and religious background of the two texts as well as to their literary qualities.