This page is here mainly as a basis to explore the potential for a future program. At present my repertoire does not allow a program limited to qin music with clearly Buddhist themes.

Somewhere it has been written (unfortunately I cannot recall the source) that the real development of the qin into its modern form (specifically a construction designed to produce a delicate sound, making it difficult to be performed for a general audience), and its modern ideology (an instrument to be appreciated only by refined sensibilities), took place in the period between the Han and Tang dynasties. This was the period when Buddhism first made strong inroads into China, and the author of this article speculated that one of the aims was to make it less appealing to such "foreign" influences. Throughout history there have been dictums specifying that the qin should not be played by such people as Buddhists and foreigners.¹

On the other hand, it is clear that since early times there have been many Buddhists, including Buddhist monks, who play the qin. Indeed, the qin's very aesthetic has particular appeal to certain aspects of a Buddhist sensibility.

Xu Jian's Introductory History of the Qin, Chapter 6.A.1., Qin monk teachers and disciples in the Northern Song dynasty, mentions a number of players who were monks. And Zhou Qingyun's Qin Shi Xu has a special section for Transcendental Players, many of them Buddhist. Clearly there were enough players to have formed a distinctive Buddhist style.

However, there is little to indicate that the style or repertoire of Buddhist players was ever different from that of any other players. Thus, for example, Feng Ru Song Ge has lyrics attributed to the 4th century monk Jiaoran, and Bai Xue Qu has lyrics by the 10th century monk Guan Xiu, but there is nothing particularly Buddhist about these.

The programs related to Daoism and Confucius contain little that are related to rituals. Mostly they have melodies connected to stories of famous Daoists or Confucians, or they concern Daoist or Confucian principles.

In contrast, there are no known traditional melodies dealing with Buddhas or famous Buddhists (other than Pu'an). And very few melodies seem to deal specifically with Buddhist concepts. Since these are not always easy to distinguish from some Daoist ones, one might suggest that Buddhist players have not felt a need to develop a special repertoire.

The only clearly Buddhist melody in the modern repertoire is the very popular Pu'an Zhou (Incantation of the Monk Pu'an), played without chant text. Interpretations vary in length, but there is little melodic difference between them.

Pu'an Zhou is distantly related to Shitan Zhang (Stanzas of Siddham), a chant with qin which apparently resulted from someone over 400 years ago writing down music from (or perhaps for) a Buddhist chant. There are some people who play what is apparently an intermediate version between Shitan Zhang and Pu'an Zhou, but I know of no one playing it as written in the early sources.²

Several 19th century handbooks have other music which could presumably be reconstructed. Likely examples taken from Zha Fuxi's Index are as follows. To my knowledge only two of these handbooks are available in modern re-prints.

1. Mahaprajnaparamitra Heart Sutra (摩訶般若婆羅密多心經 Mohebanruopolomiduo Xinjing)
   Only in 以六正五之齋琴學祕書 Yi Liu Zheng Wu zhi Zhai Qinxue Mishu (1875);
   北京圖書館 Beijing Library had a copy in the 1950s);
   A setting from the original sutra text, beginning 觀自在善薩...

2. Withered Timber Intonation (枯木吟 Kumu Yin)
   Only in 枯木禪琴譜 Kumu Chan Qinpu (1893; 2005 facsimile edition)
   14950.6 枯木 kumu does not give the Buddhist meaning, for which see Soothill, p. 304:
      "withered timber....applied to a class of ascetic Buddhists, who sat in meditation, never lying down."

3. Melody of the Naluo Rule (那羅法曲 Naluo Fa Qu)
   Only in 枯木禪琴譜 Kumu Chan Qinpu (1893; see previous)
   40173.51 那羅那里 Buddhist term: 那羅 naluo is the 男性 male essence, 那里 nali the female essence.
   No chant text; Soothill, p.248, has naluo meaning "nata", dance.

4. Prelude of the Lotus Society (蓮社引 Lian She Yin)
   Only in Kumu Chan Qinpu (1893; see previous two)
   Guide 43/---/571; the lyrics are altered from and apparently intended to be sung with Gui Qu Lai Ci
   Begins 歸去來兮，蓮社之樂胡不歸....; the Lotus Society (32496.43) is said to have originated
   with the famous monk Huiyuan (慧遠法師; 334 - 417)

5. Small Pu'an Zhou (小普庵咒; Xiao Pu'an Zhou)
   Only in 雙琴書屋琴譜集成 Shuangqin Shuwu Qinpu Jicheng (1884; location uncertain) and 十一絃館琴譜; Shiyixianguan Qinpu (1907; modern facsimile available)
   Apparently a qin version of a Pu'an Zhou for the pipa; no chant text

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1 See, for example, Van Gulik, Lore of the Chinese Lute, pp.62-4. On pp. 63-4 he tells several stories in which Daoists refuse to teach Buddhists. (Return)

2 François Picard has had an ensemble perform his reconstruction of the early Shitan Zhang. A qin is included in the ensemble, but I am not sure how prominent it is. The rhythms he uses are quite different from those on my reconstruction. According to my understanding, he based his rhythms on Buddhist texts as they are chanted today. I made mine by comparing several early versions, analyzing the ornamentation indicated in the tablature, assuming that they were related to a single original, then trying to find a rhytm that fit all this data. (Return)

3 (Return)

 
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