It is not known how this Buddhist chant came into the guqin repertoire, but about 50 versions, both with and without the chant text, survive in qin handbooks from its first known publication 1592 up to the present.⁴ The second handbook, dated 1609, gives Pu'an Zhou as an alternate title, and this eventually became the common title of the instrumental version popularly played today (see appendix below). This modern version, which actually developed from central sections of the long original composition, is introduced separately.

The doctoral dissertation of François Picard⁵ shows in detail how the modern melody Pu'an Zhou developed out of the central sections of the chant. It further details how this melody is found in a number of genres of Chinese music.

Was the original composition the result of a qin player trying to transcribe a Buddhist chant as he actually heard it, as is suggested by Zheng Bangfu's preface to the earliest handbook, Sanjiao Tongsheng? Or was this a chant actually composed by a qin player, as is suggested by the attribution to Li Shuinan,⁶ in the handbook Taiyin Xisheng (1625); Li is said to have been a reclusive scholar in Hangzhou who wrote it down at the beginning of the Wanli period (1573-1620).

My staff notation for the two earliest known versions, in Sanjiao Tongsheng (1592) and Boya Xinfa (1609, part of Zhenzhuan Zhengzong Qinpu) shows that they are very similar to each other, but also that there are many significant differences.⁷

Are these different versions of the same chant, or adaptations of an already existing qin melody? In order to explore the possibility of that they are two interpretations of the same chant, in my transcriptions I made the note values/rhythms of the two versions the same as possible. I have also played them through a number of times, but have not learned them from memory: there is too much repetition, and I need to work with a specialist on chant.

The text of the chant, after the opening invocation, consists of seemingingly meaningless Sanskrit syllables.⁸ However, the way in which they were chanted was said to have given the chant mystic power. Thus Picard reports that monks with whom he discussed this expressed reluctance to make a recording which could be played at just any time.

Both early versions begin with an invocation calling on the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, as well as others. They then have the syllables arranged into an opening, three groups of six sections each, then a syllabic closing. The piece ends with a harmonic passage to the words, "Pu'an comes here, so everything is fine."

 
Original Preface
None in 1593; the following is from 1609 ⁹

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Shitan Zhang 釋談章
釋談: 41025.xxx; also not in Soothill, A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms, which has xidan (悉曇，悉檀 and 悉談) for Siddham, "accomplished, finished" (p. 350). Literally Shi Tan means "Buddhist talk", but some of the qin handbooks call the melody 悉談章 Xitan Zhang Siddham Stanzas, so I use this translation.

The title Shitan Zhang being less common than that of the related melody 普庵咒 Pu'an Zhou, more detail is given with that entry. The most detailed source of information for this is the Ph.D. dissertation on Shitan Zhang by François Picard, since published (in French); it shows the connection between the original Shitan Zhang and the modern Pu'an Zhou, as well as related melodies in the Jiangnan Sizhu and Nanguan repertoires.

Chang Chong Hin (陳松陰; Mandarin: Chen Songyin) has also done quite a bit of research on Shitan Zhang and Pu'an Zhou. His very helpful article on this subject used to be online, but as of 2009 I have been unable to locate it.
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2. Tuning and mode
1=do, 2=re, etc.; in my transcription do is written as c, but the exact pitch depends on such things as the size and quality of the instrument and strings.
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4. Tracing Shitan Zhang
Zha Fuxi's Guide 27/219/421 includes Pu'an Zhou.
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5. In French
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6. 李水南 Li Shuinan
Li Shuinan is not in my dictionaries, so I don't if Wu Zhao (QQJC VI/i) found any information not mentioned here. In its preface to Shitan Zhang 太陰希聲 Taiyin Xisheng (1625; see QQJC IX/149) says that Li was a 杭州隱士 reclusive scholar in Hangzhou who (QQJC IX/163) 萬歷戊寅 in 1578 災梨 huoli ( = 災黎 fled from disaster?), then "以廣其傳俾有志於絲桐者共證菩提(bodhi)同遊三昧(sanmei: samadhi?) 一鼓美間覺西方勝境不遠.... in order to broaden the 傳 tradition (?) he 俾有志 devoted himself to (?) the qin...."

The 1625 handbook contains music as played (and/or taught) by Chen Dabin, who was originally a student of Li Shuinan. The same handbook, in its list of qin masters (see IX/109), says that Li was from 德清 Deqing, a few miles north northwest of Hangzhou, and that he wrote (versions of) 清夜聞種 Qingye Wenzhong and 滄江夜雨 Cangjiang Yeyu (i.e., Canghai Longyin), as well as Pu'an Zhou and two other melodies (text is unclear but one seems to be 樂琴書__ and the other __風入松). The only one of these the handbook includes is Pu'an Zhou, which it calls Shitan Zhang without mentioning the alternate title. It might be noted, however, that the 1625 melody also includes another piece on a Buddhist text, Se Kong Jue, and it attributes to Li Shuinan its version of Yu Qiao Wenda,
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7. Compare the transcriptions of page one of 1592 and of 1609.
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8. One suggestion is that they are intended to show all the different Sanskrit sounds. It could also be that it was their arrangement that had meaning, rather than the individual syllables.
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9. Preface
The original Chinese is not yet online. The translation here is from R. H. van Gulik, Lore, p. 52; he also adds some further commentary. It includes the original Chinese (see also VII/179), but for some reason omits the last phrase: "知音者其辯之". Van Gulik points out some errors in Yang Lun's understanding, e.g., regarding 二合，三合，四合 er he, etc. He says he could find no further information on 七音韻鑑 Mirror of the Rhymes of the Seven Sounds, and thus could only guess it was a book title (4.231xxx).
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10. Music
Van Gulik says the melody is decidedly Indian.
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Return to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.

 

Appendix: Chart Tracing Shitan Zhang / Pu'an Zhou; based mainly on Zha Fuxi's Guide, 27/219/421.

>  1. 三教同聲
      (1592; VI/110)

琴譜     (year; QQJC Vol/page)	title	Commentary;  Lyrics	sections	Further information  (QQJC = 琴曲集成 Qinqu Jicheng; QF = 琴府 Qin Fu)
STZ	L	Untitled,  but gaps	I have transcribed it
2. 真傳正宗琴譜       (1609; VII/179)	STZ	C; L as 1592  but *	佛頭；起咒；  三迴；佛尾	I have transcribed it; "also called Pu'an Zhou" (* extra line in 佛頭)  (pu often called 楊掄太古遺音 Yang Lun Taigu Yiyin, but it is in Boya Xinfa)
3. 陽春堂琴譜       (1611; VII/455)	STZ	L, as 1592	5	the 5 sections are like 佛頭 (includes 起咒)； 三迴； 佛尾  "釋之普庵咒"
4. 松絃館琴譜       (1614; VIII/162)	PAZ*	C; L as 1592,  but**	Not clear:  some spaces	*Lyrics: 普菴祖師神咒 Pu'an Zushi Shenzhou (** parts missing)  *Music (p. 164): 譜菴咒 Pu'an Zhou
5. 理性元雅       (1618; VIII/218)	STZ	C; L as 1609  but *	佛頭；起咒；  三迴；佛尾	"same as Pu'an Zhou"; * 佛頭 called 佛號 fo hao;  "repeat 起咒" (?)
7. 樂仙琴譜       (1623; VIII/402)	STZ	C; L; as 1609	佛頭；起咒；  三迴；佛尾	Copy of 1609  "same as Pu'an Zhou"
6. 太音希聲       (1625; IX/163)	STZ	L; as 1592	8 + 尾聲	Preface says 李水南所作....自萬歷戊寅災梨(黎)以廣其傳俾有志於絲桐者     Li Shuinan created it....as a refugee from natural disaster in 1578....(see above)
8. 古音正宗       (1634; IX/307)	STZ	L; as 1592	佛頭；起咒；  三迴；佛尾
9. 陶氏琴譜       (late Ming; IX/458)	XTZ*	L; as 1609	Untitled,  but gaps	* 悉曇章 Xitan Zhang (Xitan is another way of writing Siddham)
10. 琴學心聲       (1664; XII/71)	STZ	L; as 1592	佛頭；起咒；  三迴；佛尾
11. 松風閣琴譜       (1677/82; XII/304)	ST	No L, but  fits 1592	佛頭；起咒；  三迴；佛尾	first version not to have lyrics;   "韓石耕譜 Han Shigeng tablature");   See Kangxi (r.1662 - 1723) and the harpsichord
12. 松風閣琴瑟譜       (1677?; XII/413)	XQ*	C	21	* 仙曲 Xian Qu;   Han Shigeng tablature" (see above)  music seems to be like 1677/82
13. 德音堂琴譜       (1691; XII/514)	STZ	L; as 1592	佛頭；起咒；  三迴；佛尾
14. 范氏琴瑟合璧       (1691; XIII/???)	?			? See Picard
15. 琴譜析微       (1692; XIII/56)	STZ	No L  but *	佛頭；起咒；  三迴；佛尾	each of the 3 迴 hui is followed by 5 轉 zhuan  *"咒文未刊"; music may fit 1609 lyrics
16. 蓼懷堂琴譜       (1702; XIII/200)	STZ	L; as 1609	佛頭; gaps  not titled	Music elaborated;  first to have correct (?) punctuation of 2 迴 phrase 1
17a. 五知齋琴譜       (1722; XIV/444)	STZ	L	not marked  but 佛尾	Preface lists 佛頭；起咒；三迴；佛尾, "altogether 21 sections"  "韓子十耕原稿，莊子蝶菴譜同參"
17b. 五知齋琴譜       (1722; XIV/452)	PAZ	L	13	Preface says front and end omitted, leaving 13 sections from center  Begins like modern version
18. 臥雲樓琴譜       (1722; facs II/1)	STZ			佛頭；起咒；三迴；十五轉；佛尾, "altogether 21 sections"  "lyrics not included but people can add them if they wish"
19. 琴書千古       (1738; ?)	STZ
20. 治心齋琴學練要譜       (1739; facs.)	STZ	C; L; as 1592
21. 琴劍合譜       (1749; ?)	XTZ*			* 悉曇章 Xitan Zhang, see 1650
22. 蘭田館琴譜       (1760; XVI/210)	PAZ	L; as 1592
23. 琴香堂琴譜       (1760; XVII/45)	PAZ	No L		Like modern version
24. 研露樓琴譜       (1766; XVI/449)	STZ	L; as 1592
25a. 自遠堂琴譜       (1802; XVII/547)	STZ	L; as 1592
25b. 自遠堂琴譜       (1802; XVII/555)	PAZ	shorter L  as 1722b
26. 裛露軒琴譜       (>1802; ?)	STZ
27. 琴譜諧聲       (1820; ?)	?*			appended? see F.P.;
28. 峰抱樓琴譜       (1825; ?)	PAZ
29. 琴學軔端       (1828; ?)	PAZ
30.  琴譜正律       (1839; ?)	?			Picard: "Missing link" (where is it?)
31. 張鞠田琴譜       (1844)	STZ
32. 稚雲琴譜       (1849)	STZ
33. 琴學入門       (1864; QF/644)	STZ	L; as 1802	"21"	Sections not marked
34. 蕉庵琴譜       (1868)	PAZ	C
35. 琴瑟合譜       (1870; QF/710)	STZ	L	"21"
36. 以六正五之齋       琴譜秘書 (1875)	STZ
37. 天聞閣琴譜       (1876)	STZ	C; L; as 1802
38. 理琴軒舊抄本       (ca. 1880)	PAZ			? See Picard; attrib. 彭慶壽 Peng Qingshou (see 1922)
39. 枯木禪琴譜       (1893)	PAZ	C		Quite similar to the version commonly played today
40. 琴學初津       (1894)	STZ	C; L; as 1592
41. 十一絃館琴譜       (1907)	XPAZ*			* 小普庵咒 Xiao Pu'an Zhou; 3 sections   Melody very different from today's commonly played version
42. 雅齋琴譜叢集       (?)	STZ	C
43. 桐蔭山館琴譜       (ca. 1900)	?			see Picard; attrib 王心源 Wang Xinyuan (proto-Mei'an)
44. 玉鶴軒琴譜       (ca. 1903)	?			see Picard; attrib 王心葵 Wang Xinhua (son of Wang Xinyuan
45. 山西育才館       雅樂講義 (1922)	PAZ			has 工尺譜 gongche notation; 彭慶壽 Peng Qingshou, etc.  "Peng Qingshou" (see 1880)
46. 栩齋琴譜       (???)	PAZ			The tablature used by Sun Yuqin said this (Xuzhai Qinpu) was the version played by Peng Qingshou
47. 梅庵琴譜       (1931; Vol. 1/203)	STZ	C (1959)		This melody, in one section, is related to but very different from the instrumental Puan Zhou commonly played today
48. 夏一峰傳譜       (1957)	PAZ			Transcribes performance of 夏一峰 Xia Yifeng
49. 古琴曲集       (1958)	PAZ			Transcribes performance of 溥雪齋 Pu Xuezhai
50. 愔愔室琴譜       (2000/107)	PAZ			As played by 蔡德允 Cai Deyun
51. 虞山吳氏琴譜       (2001; p. 8)	PAZ	No L	20	With staff notation of performance by 吳景略 Wu Jingyue  "栩齋琴譜 Xuzhai Qinpu"